Bring Me To Life
by Lady Frost1
Summary: Chris can't deal. Enter Leon Kennedy to save the day. Sheva's gonna give it the old college try too. Awkwardness ensues. Hot people want lovin. Somebody gets chased around the dining room table. Sex. Romance. Bad Jokes. Leon/Sheva/Chris
1. Chapter 1

_This begins a new tale. It's classified as Romance primarily though it might leeway into action from time to time through memories. It's going to be a triangle mostly Leon/Sheva/Chris is how its feeling at the moment. The story will deviate greatly from some of my works as I'm still feeling out the kinks of love without action which is a great change for me. _

_We'll start our tale post 5, no connection to BSAA so our hero and his lady are not yet together. They don't share a child. Though a change in story will occur in this first chapter to let you know the gist of things. _

_Love it, hate it: you know the drill. Drop me a line either way. _

_I look forward to pleasing everyone who loves me, generating new people to enjoy me, and brightening everyone's day with what I have to offer._

**Obscurity**

"…_**monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us. And sometimes they win."-Stephen King**_

_So dear readers I welcome you to the world of Resident Evil. Here within these pages you won't find disaster at least not of the viral kind. You won't find monsters and mayhem and carnally devoured bodies. If you're looking for horror, it won't be here. If you're looking for the undead, I can't help you._

_What you will find are characters in the throes of self discovery. You'll find romance and revenge. You'll find angst and agony and delirious denial. You'll find hope and happiness and the endless promise of something more. You may even find humor beneath the madness. So if you're looking for humanity, if you're looking for life that you will find. And it all starts with a simple phone call._

The phone call came in the middle of the night.

He was dreaming of fire. He was dreaming of death and darkness and things that breed in tiny corners of fear and birth destruction.

He was dreaming of demons and hopelessness and utter despair. He was dreaming of obscurity.

The ring tone shattered the dream, drew him from the darkness and to the dimly lit loft he called home. Forty eight floors up his loft offered nothing but views of the sky line thoroughly obscured by the tops of sky scrapers and stars.

The moon shone brightly illuminating his phone where it lay tucked negligently tucked beneath his pillow. His fingers grasped it and lifted it to his ear as he sat up, soft sheets sliding to his waist, revealing a torso honed and handsome. The scars upon his body were marks of a warrior, of a survivor and though in great contrast to the stunning movie star face, they did nothing but enhance the masculinity of the man upon the bed.

"Yeah." He sounded gruff with sleep. A glance at the clock on the nightstand told him it was just shy of the witching hour.

"Leon…it's Claire."

"Hey. You alright?" He flipped on the nightstand light, filling the darkness with the dim glow of electricity. That he even slept in the dark now was a sign of progress. It had taken months to be able to sleep without a light on.

"It's Chris, Leon. I don't know who else to call." Claire Redfield sounded stressed. It was three in the morning here in New York city that meant in Moose Creek, Montana it was one a.m. What was she doing up at that time?

Leon fumbled in his nightstand, drew out a cigarette and flipped his zippo. The first drag was akin to nirvana.

"What's wrong?" He prompted when Claire went quiet.

"He had that mission in Africa, remember?"

"Yeah. Barry briefed us all on it when he got back in the states."

"Right. He wouldn't talk about it. Wouldn't say what he'd seen there or done. He's suffering from PTSD or something, Leon. He won't leave his house. He just lays in his bathtub drinking. It's been months since then. I can't get through to him. Jill can't get through to him. We've tried everything. I called his partner, Sheva Alomar. She's flying in in the morning to try to help but I just don't know what else to do. We've tried therapy, he goes once and doesn't go back. We've tried groups for people with post traumatic stress, he just laughs about it. We've tried cajoling him. We've tried threats. He won't respond."

Leon sighed, flicking the ash off his cigarette. "Tell me the rest."

"Leon…" Claire sounded like she was trying not to cry. "I found him yesterday in his bathtub. The water was pink from blood. And the walls…god…he'd written Kijuju over and over on the walls in blood. He'd sliced open his left wrist. He was out of it when I finally woke him up. He declined the ambulance I called. Said he didn't even remember doing it. And that he'd been drinking pretty heavily. And then he kicked me out. Told me to stop meddling and mind my own business. I don't know what to do!"

Leon was already moving to the closet. "He's not going to thank me for this Claire. He's going to down right hate me. I have to know that you understand that I'm not going to be nice to him. In fact, I'm going to probably have to hurt your brother to get him out of it. Are you okay with that? I want you to know up front that I'm going to push him to face his demons. And it might come to blows between us."

"Leon you're the only person I know who struggled after that thing with the president's daughter in a similar fashion. I trust you. Will you help?"

"Of course." Leon glanced at the windows. Apparently he was leaving behind the city for the country for awhile.

Chris Redfield lived in the middle of nowhere on thirty acres of land. Moose Creek, Montana was little more then a fart in the middle of a tornado. He figured the whole town maybe had three hundred people. Whoopie doo!

"I'm on the first plane, Claire."

"Thank you, Leon. Thank you. You'll never know how much this means to me."

…………………………………………………………………………………..

"Chris, please. You have to open the door." Sheva Alomar tapped gently on the closed bathroom door. "Let me in. Talk to me."

There was no response on the other side.

She'd been trying for hours to get the man barricaded in his bathroom to listen to her. The phone call from his sister the day before had had her on the first plane out of Africa.

What had happened in Kijuju still haunted her. The things they'd seen. The monsters, the murders, the horror. It kept her up at nights. Apparently, for Chris, it did more then that.

Claire had thought that maybe talking with her would help. Sheva figured it was worth a try.

Chris's house was an old farm house. It had a loft above the kitchen that could only be accessed by a ladder showing that it had started life as a barn. Three bedrooms and a bathroom sat on the main floor adjacent to the living room and kitchen area. The basement area housed another bedroom and a roughed in bath.

One of the bedrooms on the main level was filled with the typical signs of a girl child. Posters of popular tween stars, a bedspread showing the face of someone named Hannah Montana, a computer on nicely stained wooden desk and random clothing tossed negligently around the room like forgotten trash.

She'd known he'd had a daughter. She also knew that the woman they'd rescued in Africa, Jill, was the mother and Chris's estranged wife.

Claire had made it quite clear that Jill and Chris were separated and had been long before Jill had gone missing. Apparently it was an amicable split and the pair were still good friends. Though neither had attempted to file for divorce in the year and a half they'd been living apart.

They'd married; it seemed, not long after Raccoon City. Claire said that things had gone great for a few years but they'd simply fallen out of love with each other around their daughters eighth birthday and separated.

Still partners at work, they'd had a friendly relationship. No hard feelings or so Claire made it sound. And Sheva was glad as she'd harbored a thing for him ever since their time together in Africa.

It was hard not to. The man was dynamic. He was handsome, athletic, charming and funny. They'd clicked or so she'd thought. Although nothing had come of it. They hadn't even really flirted.

But now apparently Chris had shut himself off from the rest of the world. He was dealing poorly with his own emotions. Sheva was hoping she could coax him out of it.

She heard someone enter the house by the front door and assumed it was Claire back from her morning meeting at Terra Save. She was a diplomatic engineer in charge of over seas cooperation…whatever the hell that was.

Claire Redfield appeared in the hallway with a hand on one trim hip. It was amazing how trim she was considering she was about a hundred years pregnant.

Sheva didn't know anything about the husband but the shiny gold band on the woman's left hand implied there was one. Claire was soft and pretty with pregnancy, her long red hair scooped away from her shoulders in a loose ponytail. Chris's comments about her put her somewhere close to thirty, having been a mere nineteen when Raccoon City had gone down over a decade before. She was wearing a soft white sable coat with a dark brown fur border around the hood over dark jeans and dark brown boots.

Her face was pinked from the cold air outside. Sheva couldn't help but be a little jealous of the woman's obvious pregnancy and happiness. She looked like a poster child for happily ever after.

It was winter in Montana and the snow had started coming down sometime that morning. Already a pretty three inches covered the ground outside the large front window.

Sheva, of African descent, wasn't used to snow by any means. And she was a little upset with herself for not thinking of packing something more then a light jacket for near subzero climes.

"Hi," Claire smiled at her gently, "Still nothing?"

Sheva shook her head sadly and came down the hallway toward her. "Occasionally I hear him rustling around in there, water sloshing and obviously a beer top popping."

Claire nodded and moved into the kitchen to hang her coat over one of the bar stools there.

Chris's kitchen consisted of an island butchers block, a side bar with stools and your typical deep sink, fridge, and oven. He didn't own a microwave. But he did have an expensive coffee maker which had been Jill's last gift to him before their split.

Claire, in a soft pink maternity sweater of expensive angora, moved to brew a fresh pot. While she set the beans to grinding, she studied the woman standing at the edge of the kitchen with her hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans.

She'd seen her file so she knew Sheva Alomar was pretty. But she hadn't expected her to be so young. Claire judged her at early twenties which meant she and Sherry Birkin would be about the same age now. Claire was still in constant contact with Sherry since Raccoon City. In fact, Sherry's wedding was scheduled for a week from now, and Chris was supposed to give her away. They had a very limited time frame in which to get him up and running.

Sheva was dressed in dark jeans and a short sleeve butter yellow top that did fabulous things for her skin tone. Her dark hair was shoulder length and straight as a pin and looked fabulously silky. She had dark eyes cleverly outlined with soft make up and a full pouting mouth that Claire knew any man would love to nibble on.

The sister in Claire picked up right away on the other woman's attraction to her brother. Not that she could blame her. Chris was a catch, sisterly loyalty aside. But he was also probably at least a decade older, separated with a kid. She was hoping Sheva Alomar knew what kind of baggage that was.

Claire couldn't help but feel a niggling little bit of envy at the other woman's taut and toned figure. She, herself, felt like a humongous balloon with the baby bloating her body.

As if in answer, the baby kicked, and Claire put a hand to her belly with a smile as she drew down two coffee cups. "Black?" She asked Sheva, removing cream from the fridge for herself.

Sheva smiled gently. "Absolutely. You okay?"

Claire smiled tiredly. "He's kicking. He does that all the time now."

"I'm sure its awesome."

"It is." Claire put a mug on the bar in front of Sheva. "I'm sorry you flew out here for nothing. I was hoping he'd come out for you."

Sheva smiled a little. "It's okay. I think he will. We just have to give him time."

Claire nodded. And Sheva hated Chris just a little bit for putting the lines of worry on the other woman's face. Claire looked exhausted and her brother having a break down wasn't helping.

"What does your husband have to say about all this?" Sheva inquired gently, guiding Claire to a stool to sit down.

"Kevin's been…interesting about it. He thinks I'm being too soft with Chris. But he's my big brother, ya know? And he's hurting. Kevin really hates that I won't let him get involved."

Sheva nodded. "It's probably better this way. I don't think rough is the right response."

Claire gnawed her lip a little. "I should tell you. I called a friend last night to try to help. He seemed to be of a similar mind as Kevin. I've been trying for weeks with gentle. Nothings working. And then…with the blood. God…Sheva…I'm at my wit's end."

Sheva laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll help him. As best as we can. He has to be ready to deal with it. All we can do is be here for him."

"That's not all you can do."

Sheva jumped at the voice from the doorway. She hadn't even heard him open the door.

He stood there, against the back drop of falling snow, and he looked…hard. He was tall and dressed in a black Northface parka atop jeans and black boots. A black and red stocking cap covered him from forehead to ear. He was removing his black leather gloves and tucking them into his pockets as he knocked the snow off his boots.

"Leon!" Claire rose and waddled toward him excitedly.

The man looked up and the hard look on his face vanished, replaced by a softness that reached from eyes to body. Sheva noticed that moments before his wintery blue eyes had been cold as the snow falling outside and now they were filled with such gentleness that it was nearly startling.

He embraced the small woman, pulling her into the thick parka for a tight hug.

"Look at you," He said in a happy tone, pulling her away after a long moment to stare at her belly. "You got fat."

Claire laughed softly and cupped his face to kiss him hard on the mouth. "Still the charmer, Kennedy. Still the charmer."

Ah, thought Sheva, that helped. SPC Agent Leon S. Kennedy was well known in the BSAA. He was the right hand of the President. He was also the man they called when they wanted it done quick, efficient, quietly and under the table. There were more confidential and high security clearance files in his folder then James Bond. In the right circles, Leon Kennedy didn't exist. He was a spook, a spectre, a ghost. His file stated he was also a survivor of Raccoon City. And Chris had mentioned he'd survived it with Claire.

Claire stepped away from him as Leon removed his sock hat. Thick hair the color of dark honey spilled free to tumble (the way only a really expensive hair cut can) over one eye. He tossed his head a little, which seemed like an old gesture, and the hair settled gently to brush the line of his jaw.

Yeah, Leon Kennedy was a ghost but no one had mentioned that the ghost was gorgeous.

Claire took his hat and his parka when he unzipped it and removed it, moving over to hang it on the standing coat rack beside the door.

"How was your flight?" She queried while Sheva Alomar studied the toned physique nicely show cased in a black form fitting long sleeved thermal.

"Eh. It was the red eye. Screaming babies, sleeping CEOs, the usual." Leon skimmed a hand over Claire's soft red hair. "You look good kid. Kevin treating you right?"

"Like a queen." Claire smiled. "Thank you for coming, Leon. I mean it."

"Bah. I was coming for Sherry's wedding anyway. One week early, no biggie." He took Claire's hands, squeezed. "But I meant what I said Claire. Don't thank me yet. And promise me you'll stay clear of it."

"I promise."

Leon lifted his eyes and finally took notice of Sheva.

His first reaction was how silly to have discounted someone who obviously had training written all over her. His seconded was purely male. She was beautiful and very young and obviously the partner from Africa.

He held out a hand. "Leon Kennedy."

"Mr. Kennedy, your reputation precedes you. I'm Sheva Alomar."

They shook. Leon, no fool, felt a tiny spark of something in the touch of skin. Not that it mattered. He wasn't here looking for a spark of anything. And he was a man after all. A pretty woman was a pretty woman no matter what the circumstances.

"It's Leon." Leon released her hand. "And don't believe a word of it."

Ah, Sheva thought, he could be charming. That smile said worlds. It was knock your socks off sex on a stick.

Leon turned back to Claire. "Where is he?"

"He's in the bathroom. The doors locked. He won't answer. We've been trying all morning."

Leon nodded and moved into the kitchen, looking through drawers.

Sheva met Claire's eyes with eyebrows raised. The front door opened again and another man entered, stomping the snow off his boots.

He was dressed in a dark green parka similar to Leon's. Age wise, Sheva couldn't judge him. But he was likely somewhere in his thirties. He had shaggy dark hair that was attractively unruly and a five o'clock shadow at nine a.m.

His eyes were a shade of blue slightly darker then Leon's in a face that was strong jawed and handsome with a slightly crooked nose that hinted at having been broken once or twice in his life. When the jacket came off, he had the build of a football player: tough and strong. He clearly took care of his body which was housed in a white t-shirt over faded light jeans.

Sheva thought the cowboy boots on his feet were a nice touch and somehow managed to make the package.

Claire moved toward him and they embraced, kissing softly. Obviously this was the husband.

"Hi." Claire smiled as they parted. "You didn't have to come. I told you Sheva was here and Leon was coming."

The husband shrugged and rubbed a hand over her belly. "It's starting to really come down out there. I didn't want you trying to drive home alone."

Leon glanced up from his search. "Hey Kev."

"Leon."

"Your wife looks fat."

"My wife looks awesome. And you look jealous."

Leon chuckled and went back to rummaging. "You're probably right. It's my own fault. I sort of introduced you."

"Chris introduced us. It just took you pushing her to get her to finally agree to go out with me."

Leon chuckled. "Survivors pity. She felt obligated."

Kevin rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Besides," Leon commented, "She only went out with you because I turned her down first."

Claire snorted.

Kevin gave Leon the finger.

Claire smiled at Sheva and gestured. "Kevin, this is Sheva Alomar. Sheva, my husband, Kevin Ryman."

Sheva lifted her brows. Well that made sense. Another Raccoon City survivor. If files and memory served, this one had been a cop. He'd escaped with a handful of others. That explained the connection between Leon and Kevin, Kevin and Claire, and Kevin and Chris. Clearly they'd all known each other.

Leon finally stood with a screwdriver in one hand.

"It's good you're here actually. You can run herd on these women while I oust Claire's brother from the bathroom."

Sheva's eyebrows sprang high up into her hair. "Run herd on us?"

Kevin grinned. "Don't mind him. He's a superb agent apparently. He's also dumber then a box of rocks about women."

Leon shook his head and crossed toward the hallway. "I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. But then he's coming out. One way or another."

Sheva moved to step in his way. "Wait a second. He's suffering. You're not going to go in there and drag him out."

Leon looked down at the slender hand on his chest. Nice fingers, long, piano hands. He met the stunning face attached to it. "I am. If you can't handle that, go wait outside."

"He's hurting!" Sheva stated emphatically, "The last thing he needs is Rambo storming in there and forcing him out."

Kevin chuckled. "Rambo? He's too skinny to be Rambo."

"Stuff it, Ryman." Leon retorted.

"Kevin." Claire admonished. "Stay out of it."

"Well he is." Kevin muttered. "I'm just sayin."

Leon and Sheva faced each other squarely. "Look," He said finally, "I'm sure you care about him or you wouldn't be here. But right now he doesn't need kindness. He doesn't need pampering or catering or patience."

Sheva pushed a little on his chest. He didn't budge. "So he needs to treated like a child? You gonna storm into his room and spank him?"

Kevin snorted. "What a mental image."

Claire slapped him on the arm again. "Hush."

"What?" Kevin stuck his hands into his back pockets and rocked on his boots. "I agree with, Kennedy. I've been saying it forever. Your brother needs a kick in the ass. I don't blame you for trying it the easy way, honey. Really I don't. But he's beyond that."

Sheva tried another little push. Leon didn't move.

His eyes went down to her hand and back up to her face. "I'm here to help him. You have to let me do that. You have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Sheva inquired. "I don't even know you."

"Sheva." Claire said softly. "Let him try. Please."

"If this doesn't work," Leon stated quietly. "You can go back to doing it your way. But so far, that hasn't done shit. And he has a daughter who needs him. So move and let me try."

Another handful of moments passed before Sheva shifted aside. "Fine. But I don't like this at all."

"Dually noted." Leon started down the hallway.

Kevin shifted to follow. "You guys stay out here. Okay? Please? Given the size of your brother and his current state, I don't think that skin and bones can handle him alone."

Claire nibbled her lip in worry but nodded and sat down at the bar, sipping her coffee.

Leon knocked on the door. "Chris. It's me. Open the door."

There was a rustling on the other side. The sound of water striking porcelain as the bath tub came on.

Kevin and Leon locked eyes.

Leon knocked again. "Chris. Open up. We know you're in there. Put the beer down and step away from the bathtub."

Kevin chuckled a little. "Very cop like."

"Thanks. I had a lot of practice at being a cop. One whole day."

Leon lifted the screwdriver, stuck it between the door and the jamb at the lock and gave it two solid whacks with the flat of his hand.

The flimsy lock gave and the door burst open, banging against the opposite wall.

The bathroom was muggy and clouds of steams spilled out into the hallway. The mirrors in the bathroom were all foggy from heat and moisture and the walls damp from enclosure.

Chris wasn't in the bath tub.

A second of surprise was all Leon got before he was tackled by two hundred pounds of pissed off rage.

Leon's back hit the hallway wall hard enough to jar his teeth together. A picture hanging there was knocked loose and conked him on the head as it fell.

The surprise of the attack cost him a solid right hook to the face. His mouth burst with blood and he was lucky, considering the size and strength of the arm delivering the blow, that it didn't knock his teeth down his throat.

"What the fuck!" Kevin shouted and grabbed at Chris's torso, using his body to force the other man away from Leon.

Chris wasn't naked, thank god, but he wasn't exactly dressed either. He was in a pair of boxer shorts with Christmas trees on them.

Kevin wasn't a slouch in size by any means but Chris was still much more massive in sheer muscle. The second Kevin forced him back, he swung, catching Claire's husband in the stomach with an uppercut that had the other man doubling forward.

Leon spit the blood from his mouth and delivered a kick to the back of Chris's knee. Chris stumbled, turned, and as big as he was, as narrow as the hallway was, as skilled as the two men facing him were-he was outmatched.

Chris was a helluva fighter. He was known for his brute strength and combat training.

But his size didn't make him fast.

The kick to the back of the knee caused him to stumble into Kevin who was still trying to keep from eating his own stomach forced up into his mouth. Kevin shifted to the side and helped the other man along, pushing.

Chris went down like a tree, hitting the floor on his face.

Well, Leon thought, he should have been better in a fight then that. Narrow confines didn't make you stupid. But the amount of alcohol coming off Chris in waves might have. He smelled like a brewery gone bad.

Chris started to get up and Leon took his arm, forcing it in a joint lock up behind his shoulder blades. "You're done. You lose."

"Fuck off!" Chris shook his arm trying to get the other man to let go. "What do you want anyway? Leave me the fuck alone."

"Hey!" Kevin kicked him squarely on the ass. "My wife is out there. Watch the language buttface."

Chris snarled. "Eat me, Ryman. Take your girlfriend here and get out of my house."

"First off," Kevin returned, "I'm wounded that you think my standards are so low as to settle for Kennedy. And secondly, I'm related to you, you drunken dumbass, so I get to hang around whenever I feel like it."

Leon jerked Chris to his feet, forcing him to walk back into the bathroom.

"First things first, hotshot." Leon said soberly, "We're going to get that alcohol out of your system."

"I'll bite your fucking fingers off!" Chris was fighting like a trapped, wounded animal, jerking around wildly.

Kevin lifted his brows at Leon, got the nod of approval, and administered sedation to their unwilling patient: he punched him hard in the stomach.

Chris Redfield's stomach was like solid steel. The punch hurt like hell but Kevin was no slouch himself physically. Chris doubled over from the pain and Leon forced him down to bathtub level with a solid kick to the back of the knee.

Kevin hit the lever to drain the tub and the sound of swirling water filled the room.

"Turn the cold water on in the shower." Leon instructed the other man a second before he plunged Chris's head under the swirling water.

Chris struggled harder, sputtering and inhaling water up his nose for his efforts. Leon gave him a full ten seconds with his head in the water before he jerked him back.

"You hairy assed douche bag!" Chris shouted, spitting water, "I'm going to turn your balls into earrings!"

Kevin chuckled. Leon rolled his eyes.

"And oh what a lovely tea party you'd go to with such jewelry." Kevin quipped happily and held Chris down while Leon cuffed his hands behind his back.

Kevin hit the cold water spout and freezing liquid rained down upon the entrapped Chris causing the cuffed man to howl like a kicked dog.

"You fight," Leon stated coolly, "You'll just make this harder."

"Fuck off." Chris snarled.

"Hard it is." Leon sighed and shoved his head under the water again.

"Kelly-Ripa-rat-ass-fat-sack!" Chris growled when he was dragged back again.

"Is that one word?" Kevin wondered aloud. Leon had to laugh a little before he grabbed Chris's jaw and jerked his head back. He met the other man's eyes.

"Time for the big moment, super hero. You ready?"

"Eat me raw, Kennedy! You sniveling nazi fuck!"

Leon sighed dramatically and gestured to Kevin.

"What? You want me to put my hands in his mouth? No way. He'll bite off my fingers."

Leon lifted a brow and grabbed Chris's jaw to hold his mouth open. The captured man sputtered and cursed incoherently. Leon held his legs easily trapped between his ankles.

Kevin sighed and moved over. "I love your sister, you idiot. I'm doing this shit for her."

If looks could kill, Kevin Ryman would have dropped on the spot.

Kevin jabbed two fingers down the other man's throat.

In the kitchen, Sheva jerked at the sound of violent retching mixed with cursing and struggling from the bathroom. It sounded like World War III down the hallway.

Claire was twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

The two women locked eyes as Chris began exploding with curses so colorful they made Sheva's ears bleed.

For nearly twenty minutes this carried on. There was an occasional crash, some clunking, a few chuckles and thuds. Finally Chris had fallen quiet.

Sheva wondered for a moment if he was dead.

Kevin came down the hallway first. He was slightly damp and smiling.

Claire leapt to her feet and hurried over. "Did you kill my brother!?"

Kevin smiled and cupped her face to kiss her gently. "He's sleeping it off. After he finished throwing up for the third time, he was pretty easy to handle. We hosed him off and put him to bed."

Claire nodded and put a hand to her belly. Kevin's smile changed to concern. He met her eyes squarely.

"You okay?"

Claire smiled tiredly. "Exhausted. I could use a hot bath and ten hours of sleep."

Kevin helped her into her coat and donned his own. "Let's get you home to do that. I'm sorry you had to hear that honey. Next time your brother needs tough love I'll leave you at home."

Claire gave him a stern look. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid. I can handle it."

Kevin led her toward the door, giving Sheva a look over his shoulder. "Come by for dinner later, if you want. We're about a half mile east. Chris's truck is out in the garage and the keys are in the top kitchen drawer."

Sheva nodded. "Get some rest Claire."

"I will."

A few minutes passed after they left before Leon Kennedy emerged from the hallway. He said not a word merely went out the front door and came back in a minute later with several bags.

"What are you doing?" Sheva asked seeing him head for the spare bedroom.

"I'm staying here. Claire asked me to take care of her brother. Can't do that if I'm not on constant guard."

"I'm staying here." Sheva replied. "That's my room."

Leon lifted a brow and then shrugged. "Fine. I'll take the loft."

He started up the ladder and disappeared from sight. She heard him rustling around, removing linens and making the full sized bed that was up there. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of him being in full view of the rest of the house. The loft was open. Didn't he care about privacy?

He came back down the ladder carrying a very nice and expensive .50 calibur AE Desert Eagle. Obviously intending to clean it, he set it down on the butchers block before he turned and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Sheva met his eyes as he turned to face her.

"So you were together in Africa."

Not a question. A statement.

Sheva nodded. "Things there…they were…"

Leon nodded. She wanted to call the look on his face sympathy but it wasn't quite that. It was more of an understanding.

"I understand that you care about him." He was being diplomatic saying "care". He was pretty sure it was deeper then that. "But he doesn't need to be protected right now. He's close to rock bottom."

Sheva sighed. "I'm trying to stop him from hitting it."

"Don't." Leon replied.

"What?"

"Don't try to stop him. He needs to hit it. Then there's no place to go but up."

"That's ridiculous." Sheva turned away, shaking her head. "What if he can't get back up?"

"You're implying that he's weak. He's not. He's one tough SOB. He'll pull out of this. And I'll help him. But at the end of the day, it's going to be him alone that has to decide to do it."

Sheva met those frosty blue eyes. "I'm not sure I can be that cold."

Leon shrugged. "I can. I've been where he is. He helped me through it. He pulled me out when I was drowning. I owe him this. I owe Clarie this. And I'm going to stick to it."

A grudging respect formed in Sheva's breast for the man. Maybe he was right. Maybe he was the right person for the job.

"I'm not leaving." Sheva said with some finality.

"I understand that." Leon set down his coffee cup and moved toward the hallway. He pulled his shift off as he moved.

Sheva's brain fell right out her ass. Typical female reaction to an insanely hot half naked man.

He turned the thermal in his hands. His chest was awesome, chiseled and honed with muscle. He had flat abs cut and defined. There was a mass amount of scar tissue high on his right shoulder, white and pink with age. His bio stated he'd been wounded in Raccoon City, she figured this was the result of that. It didn't detract from the body; it just gave a hard edge to a very pretty package.

In the dim light of the hallway, his perfect face was clearly displayed above all that pretty naked flesh. The face was nearly perfect save for the tiny scar on his right cheek. It was nearly invisible until under direct light.

Leon glanced down at his shoulder where her eyes wandered.

"You can ask."

Sheva met his eyes. "What happened?"

"In Raccoon City I tangled with a crocodile as big as a charter bus. It tried to take a bite out of me."

Sheva nodded and lifted her shirt to show the twin scars across her belly. "Tongue lashes from those…eh…"

"Lickers?"

Sheva met his eyes in surprise.

"Yeah." Leon said quietly. "I met them too."

Sheva stepped over, eyeing the tiny pink scar on his upper left chest. "This?"

She was within touching distance of him. He stated, coolly. "Gun shot wound. Birkin's wife. I leapt in the way of A-a friend."

She caught the way he stopped himself. Clearly there were things he wasn't willing to share.

Sheva touched the scar gently with one finger. "Brave thing to do."

"Or stupid." Leon replied so softly that Sheva lifted her head. They were too close. She was invading the hell out of his personal space. His alarms said "Move back!" but he didn't.

And neither did she.

She trailed her hand over his chest to touch the mound of scar tissue on his shoulder. She could have removed her hand to do it but she didn't. She slid three fingers over his skin to the other side.

Truthfully she didn't think she was flirting. She wasn't. Was she? She didn't know. She wasn't here to flirt. She was here to help Chris.

But she was also human. And very, very curious about the man in front of her. It was almost like being in the presence of a legend. Amongst the BSAA Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield were as famous as you got.

She wondered if part of her attraction to either of them was because of all she knew they'd done to make the world just a little safer.

She'd grown attracted to Chris over their time together in Africa. A mutual respect and friendship had budded into something more for her.

But this, this strange and instant attraction to Leon Kennedy was, at the very least, fascinating.

Maybe it was like meeting your idol. You couldn't help but try for a touch. Maybe, as well, it was partly knowing he was referred to as "The Robot" or "Iceman". No one got close. No one dared. And so she was tempted.

Her hand trailed over the scar tissue and down his bicep. He finally stepped back when she reached his elbow.

"I need to shower."

Sheva nodded. "I'll listen for Chris."

Leon turned and moved down the hallway. His back was just about as fabulous as the front had been. He had a tattoo on his back right hip above the pants line of the RPD badge.

Sheva watched him go, rubbing her fingers together as if she'd just touched something electric.

Interesting, she mused as the bathroom door closed, interesting indeed.

She moved down the hallway toward Chris's bedroom, listening to the water rushing in the bathroom. Chris was lying face down on his stomach, one arm flung out to the side, the sheets twisted around his lower body hiding him from waist down.

He had tattoos on the back of either massive shoulder. One of the BSAA emblem, the other of the S.T.A.R.S logo. "Eve" was tattooed in a ribbon pattern on the right side of his ribcage. She knew this was his daughter's name. She was strangely touched to know he'd branded his daughter's name on his skin.

He was such a strong contradiction to the man currently showering in the bathroom. He was broad and muscled like crazy. Even in sleep, breathing deeply, the muscles of his back stood out in sharp relief to the taut skin stretched over them. She knew he'd been slim once, like Leon, built swimmer strong. But ten years of chasing Wesker had given him a body fit for sculpting. He danced the edge of too muscular, narrowly balancing a tight rope of being too big.

He turned his face in sleep, showing his profile to the early morning light.

He was unshaven, rugged, his jaw square and strong in a face made for touching. Of the two, Leon Kennedy was more classically handsome. His features were perfect, set in a face carved by the hands of angels. But Chris Redfield had a soldier's face, masculine, strong and handsome in its strength.

Sheva smiled a little at the tooth brush sitting on the nightstand next to a bottle of mouthwash. Clearly Kennedy had thought to have the other man rinse his mouth before he'd passed out. It was an oddly touching thing to have done for the man called "Iceman".

Chris's hair was longer then it had been in Africa, unruly and thick, exploding out from his head in sweaty blunt angles. Sheva touched a finger to the damp curls at the back of his neck.

He shifted so quick she didn't have time to gasp before he grasped her wrist and yanked.

She spilled forward as he rolled, taking her with him until she was pinned beneath his body, her hands trapped above her head in an iron grip.

There was madness in deep blue of his eyes. Madness and emptiness and pain so profound it hurt her heart to see it.

"Chris," She whispered, "It's me."

The madness edged out and confusion was there. "Sheva? What are you doing here?"

"Claire called. I came."

So simple and true. So simple and complicated. A paradox.

Chris shook his head as if to clear it. Behind the confusion a raging hang over brewed, beating his brains in with its massive fists. He released her hands and shook his head, rolling to the side of the bed to sit up.

"How long was I out?"

Sheva couldn't help but watch his body as he curved forward, elbows on his knees, face in hands as he rubbed his temples.

"Minutes." She said quietly, sitting up behind him. He was naked, gloriously naked and the sheet barely covered his lap as he sat there. She was given a beautiful view of his naked back and hips.

"Longest I've slept in months." He turned his head over his shoulder to meet her eyes. "You shouldn't have come, Sheva. I'm doing okay."

She shifted, laid a hand on his bare shoulder. "Of course I came. Tell me you wouldn't have done the same for me."

He lifted his hand to lay it over hers. "Of course I would have. I keep…I keep having these dreams. I can't sleep. I hardly eat. I don't know how to deal with it."

Sheva cupped his face in her free hand. "I'll help you. I'll help you deal with it."

"I'm an idiot," He said softly, "I feel like an idiot for taking things this hard."

"You're not an idiot, Chris. You're hurting. Let me help you."

He met her eyes. "I don't know how."

Sheva scooted closer to him, wrapped her arms around his massive shoulders and pulled him into her body to hold him. "You start like this."

He stiffened before he relaxed; wrapping his arms around her in response, marveling that he could nearly loop his arms around her twice if he wanted. She was so small and thin.

She held him, his head on her chest, cheek against her bosom as he listened to the steady thump of her heart.

He wasn't an idiot. Not completely. He heard the steady thump skip a beat and quicken. He'd known, in Africa, she would have liked more between them. But he was too old for her. Too old and not yet divorced. Part of him was still in love with his wife who he'd been there trying to save.

Saving Jill hadn't saved their marriage. It was over. He knew that. But part of him couldn't let go. And Sheva was too good a girl to be used that way.

But god it was hard. HE was hard. Sitting here touching her and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a woman. God. He'd had a few since he and Jill had separated. A few one nighters. But he hadn't had one now in months.

Sheva smelled and felt like heaven.

He couldn't stop himself from running his stubbled chin against the soft pillow of her breasts in the open neck of her top. It wasn't anything too overt but she inhaled sharply in response, shifting her body closer to his.

Chris pulled her a little, spilling her over his body until she was straddling him. The sheet, her jeans, narrow barriers between what his body wanted more then anything. He wanted to bury himself inside her. He wanted to lose his way in her. He wanted to submerse himself and just let go.

He pulled back enough from her to see her face. Her eyes were dilated, her skin flush. Testing, he cupped her hips and rubbed the feel of himself against her body. She shuddered and gripped his shoulders. Oh yeah, he thought with a little bit of madness, she was hot for it. He could flip her over, rip off her jeans and take her right here, right now.

"You want me?" It was hoarse when he said it, brushing his hardness against her jeans, grinding a little.

"Yeah." Breathy. Her voice was breathy.

"Yeah," He responded and gripped her ass to grind harder against her. "Tell me how much."

Sheva fisted a hand in his hair and leaned down to kiss him. He turned his head and she kissed his cheek instead. "I want you. I've always wanted you. Let me love you."

He stopped grinding, met her eyes. Let me love, she'd said. Not fuck. Not that. Love. Let me love you.

That he couldn't handle. That he didn't want. Not now. Not ever. He wanted a quick fuck. A moment of forgetting. And he'd forgotten that woman above him deserved better then that.

Easily, he lifted her off his lap.

"Go home Sheva. I don't want this. I don't. Go home." He rolled away to his side.

She stood there for a moment feeling the shame beat on her bones. What an idiot. She'd thought…ugh. She didn't know. That he felt something akin to what she'd felt. She was an idiot twice removed. Of course he didn't want love. He needed a friend, not a slutty tramp trying to fuck him back to health.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly and it hurt his heart to hear it. She had nothing to be sorry for. But he said nothing.

"I'll check on you later." She turned and hurried down the hallway.

Leon Kennedy was in the kitchen as she flew passed, dressed in a royal blue thermal and light jeans. He lifted a brow as she flew out the door, completely forgetting her jacket.

Leon stepped into the hallway and could see into Chris's bedroom. Chris was lying on his side now, facing him.

"Nice job, Redfield."

"Blow me, Kennedy. Why don't you take your perfect hair and go home?"

"Sorry hero. I came here to do a job. I'm going to do it. Whether you like it or not. And P.S. I can't be scared away with dirty looks or rejection."

Chris sneered and rolled away.

Leon turned, grabbed his parka off the hook by the door and made his way out in to the cold.

The snow was barreling down now, mother nature having had enough of taking it easy, was now beating the world with her fury. He tromped through the snow in his boots toward the sight of Sheva trying to force open her car door.

It was a mystery how she'd gotten that sedan up here in the first place. He was pretty sure it didn't have 4-wheel drive.

"Fuck!" She cursed loudly as he came up beside her. "The door is frozen shut."

"Does that in subzero temps. Going somewhere?"

It was colder then a well diggers ass out here, he thought, and her skin was pinked with cold.

"Getting away for awhile. I just made an idiot of myself in there. Just need to go away."

Leon held out his coat. "Might need this. And if you get that little thing out of the snow and actually get it moving, I'll actually let you go."

Sheva took the jacket and thrust her arms into it. "I came here to help him. Instead, I made it worse."

Leon tilted his head, studying her. She was beautiful, true, but that wasn't what drew him to her. It was this inner core of real strength. She exuded it. It came off her like perfume.

"No you didn't. He did." Leon gripped her hand to stop her from trying to force open her door. "He pushed you away. Don't you realize that? He did it on purpose. He doesn't want you too close. He could have fucked you in there and not blinked."

Sheva winced at the crudeness. It had seemed kind of hot while it had been happening. Now it seemed tasteless.

"But he can't have that with you. So he pushed you away."

Sheva met those icy blue eyes. It was a mystery how such a cold color could hold such warmth and kindness.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that." She said quietly.

Leon smiled, gently. "Me too actually. I didn't travel a thousand miles to listen to Chris Redfield make out."

Sheva chuckled a little. "Me either. It just…kinda happened."

"Two people go through what you two did, emotions get crossed and confused. Shit comes out."

Sheva lifted a brow. "You say this because…"

He thought of Ada and their nights together. He thought of Ashley and her never ending attempt to make him her lover. Ada he'd been powerless against. Ashley he would never, ever, ever lay a hand on. EVER. For more then one reason.

"I've been there. I know what its like." He felt her shift her hand over and didn't stop her fingers when they laced with his. "If you really want to be with him. You have to give him time to find himself again. It's the only way he'll be what you need."

Sheva studied him in the falling snow. His eyelashes had tiny flakes of melting white on them. "They call you the iceman."

"I know."

"I don't think you're so cold."

Leon smiled a little. "I am at the moment. I think my nuts are frozen to my ass."

Sheva couldn't help but laugh as he led her back toward the house. "Are you going to be my friend, Leon Kennedy?"

"Maybe." Leon stopped on the porch and met her eyes. "I don't have many friends."

Sheva thought of Chris. Of Claire. Of Kevin. "You have a few."

"So it seems."

"I'll be your friend." Sheva squeezed his cold hand.

Leon grinned a little. "You gonna grind on my lap when I'm feeling down?"

Here she could have said any number of things. In a minute her mind flashed down a hundred different paths. She finally went with the truth.

"If I ground on your lap, you wouldn't be down for long."

Leon couldn't help it, he laughed. He liked this girl. Really liked her. And he was extremely happy she was there. It would make dealing with Redfield a little more bearable.

"Touche'." He pulled her inside, shivering as the cold was sealed off at their backs.

"Kevin and Claire are expecting us for dinner." Sheva hung up the parka and knocked off her boots.

"Chris too?"

"I think so." Sheva picked up her coffee. "We'll let him sleep for awhile and ask him later."

Leon nodded. "I've got a few things to get in town anyway. I think its going to snow us in. Can't be stranded here without food and other stuff."

"You want me to stay here and keep an eye on him?"

"Probably the best idea. We leave him, he'll likely lock us out."

Sheva nodded as Leon grabbed his parka again and put it on. "Don't go back in there while I'm gone. I won't be here to save you from certain disaster."

Sheva smiled. "Don't worry. I know how to handle him now. I may not be as big as he is but I can still handle my own."

Leon nodded and opened the front door. Cold rushed in like an unwelcome house guest. "Things are gonna get bumpy round here. I've only got one thing to say: Hold on, sweetheart. "

………………………………………………………………………….

_Closing note: _

_This chapter took me forever to write and rewrite. It started out too depressing. One version had death in it (can't say who). I finally decided to do what I do best and make it as lighthearted as possible. The next chapter will find our heroes at a very uncomfortable dinner filled with old flames, new flames, awkward silences, inappropriate bodily responses…someone MAY arm pit fart and the chapter could end in karaoke! So stay tuned!!_

'


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2 emerges. Drawn from the quagmire of my prolific mind._

_I was amused writing this. I hope it amuses you in the very least. We saw in the last chapter a reemergence of an old favorite of mine: Mr. Kevin Ryman from Outbreak. I, myself, loved Outbreak for its difference and ingenuity. It's a shame it didn't catch on the way it should have to spawn more sequels. Given a quick infusion, I think it could have gone far. (Note to Capcom)_

_In other lands of possibility, I love Kevin as another hero of humorous proportions in Sheets of Fire I loved writing the snarky interaction between him and Leon. I decided to make him Claire's husband to alleviate Claire as a possible love interest for Leon (sorry to people fond of the pair) and allow Kevin his place back in my stories. _

_We saw in our previous chapter that Sheva and Leon are attracted to each other. That Sheva and Chris are REALLY attracted to each other. And that Chris is a mess. This chapter will lighten things up a bit more and really dive head first into those attractions._

_We're gonna take our first foray into the dirty here people. Beware! _

_With much undying love and respect to you all, I give you the second chapter in our newest journey together._

**II. Discomfited**

"_**Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling that even a tiny amount of it is enough to ruin every enjoyment." –Will Rogers**_

"I'm not going."

Sheva glanced up from where she was cleaning Leon's gun at the butchers block in the kitchen.

Chris stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white tank top rudely referred to as a wife beater. He looked rested, as he'd been out now for most of the day. Leon was currently outside digging the truck out to take to dinner at Claire's.

"Yes you are." Sheva said coolly. "You want some coffee?"

"No I don't want any fucking coffee." Chris stalked into the kitchen and struck up a cigarette. "I want to be left alone."

"Not gonna happen." Sheva replied and went on cleaning the gun. "Not leaving until you're better."

Chris ran his tongue over his teeth angrily. "What? You stickin around waiting for a good fuck? Cause I can give you that right now honey. Make both our days."

Sheva lifted her eyes and gave him a long, cool look. "Be as big a bastard as you want, Chris Redfield. I'm not leaving."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "I had you running this morning. What changed your mind? Decided you wanted a taste of me after all?"

Sheva stood slowly as he crossed toward her. He was big, it was true. She came up to his shoulder.

He looked down his nose at her. She met the look squarely.

"Can't help it can you?" She queried gently. "Have to try to force me away from you."

Chris's smile was feral. "Didn't have to force you this morning. In fact, you were so hot for it my sheets are still wet from you."

Ah, Sheva thought, he was going to try to be rude and crude to get her to run. She was on to his game now and wasn't falling for it.

"You done?" Sheva wondered aloud, "We've got dinner to get to."

"Fuck you and your dinner. I'm not going."

He started to turn away and Sheva grabbed his arm, holding him still. "You listen to me, Chris Redfield. You're acting like a petulant child. Your sister, who loves you, planned this dinner. You will go. And you'll do it graciously. Or I'll drag you outside by your bastard prick and make you."

Chris sneered at her. "You're not my mother. You can't make me do shit."

"Maybe not." Said the voice from the doorway. "But I can."

Chris's body tensed. "I owe you the beating of a life time Kennedy."

Leon opened his arms. "Any time you're ready, Redfield. Take your shot. You're still going to the dinner."

"I'll get up on the table and take a big shit."

Sheva laughed a little. Chris gave her a narrow look and took a step forward into her personal space. She held her ground.

"Go home, Sheva. Leave me alone. Didn't I make it clear this morning that I don't want you here?"

Leon took a step forward to intervene. Sheva saw the ice in those blue eyes and held up a hand to hold him back.

Sheva put her hands up and pushed, using her whole body to shove Chris back from her. "The only thing you proved this morning is that you're not a complete shit. A complete shit would have fucked me and kicked me out. You only kicked me out. It proves you're still a good guy. Somewhere under all that bullshit."

Chris sighed and the pissed off rage reverted to sullen upset. "Jesus. Leave me alone! Is that too much to ask?"

Leon stepped around him, heading toward the loft. "You got ten minutes. Shave. Put on a shirt and a smile. Your daughter is going to be there."

It was the look on Chris's face that told Sheva she wasn't wrong. He was still a good guy. He was just a wounded one. And the love on his face for his daughter was as clear as day.

"Eve's gonna be there?"

"Yeah." Leon started up the ladder. "So why don't you go and prove you're still her Dad. She thought her mother was dead. And now her Dad might as well be for all the good he's done her. Poor kid. I'm surprised SHE'S not a drunken fuck up. But I guess there's only room for one of those in the Redfield family."

He might as well have kicked Chris in the balls. The man looked broken by that one statement.

He turned and disappeared down the hallway without another word.

Leon came back down the ladder carrying a blue parka.

"Was that necessary?" Sheva asked as he handed her the coat.

"Yes." Leon moved to take his black one off the hook by the door. "He needs to be aware of what he's doing to other people. Left to his own devices, he'll just give up."

"You think guilt will bring him back?"

"I think guilt will rape him raw." Leon gave her a long look as he slid on his sock cap. "He needs to be raw to heal."

Sheva sighed and moved forward to zip Leon's coat up for him. He stood there, watching her slim hands work the zipper.

She was dressed in a black sheath dress, her hair curly from her shower and clipped up on her head in a corkscrew of curls. She smelled like sin.

She lifted her eyes to his. "The zippers stuck."

He could have brushed her hands aside to do it himself but he put his hands atop hers and helped. The slide of metal teeth was loud in the silence.

"I like your hair curly." He said finally when the silence drug on.

Sheva smiled a little. "It does that without a straightener."

"I like it." He said again.

"Thanks." Neither had moved their hands.

A door slammed down the hallway and Sheva jumped. Leon shifted away from her as Chris came back into the kitchen.

He was dressed in a blue polo shirt and jeans. "Better?"

"Much." Sheva smiled at him and picked up her coat to slip it on.

Leon opened the front door. "I'll start the truck." He closed the door behind him.

Sheva started to put her arm in the sleeve of her coat.

"Here." Chris moved forward to hold the coat for her. "Let me."

She gave him a surprised look before she allowed him to hold it and slid her arms in. "Thank you."

"Yeah."

She turned and he took the zipper, pulling it up. The backs of his fingers brushed over the bare skin of her chest as he drew it closed around her. It was accidental but it still made her feel warm inside.

"You look…good, Sheva. Really good."

Surprised again, she met his eyes. "Thank you."

He was such a hard man to understand. First hot, then cold, then hot, then cold. He was like a malfunctioning tap. You never knew what you were going to get.

Sheva glanced at his shirt. "I like this color on you. It suits you."

Chris stepped back from her. "Thanks. Eve got it for me."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her." Sheva watched him slip on an orange parka.

A softness came over him at the mention of his daughter. "She's awesome. She'll like you."

"I hope so."

Chris met her eyes for a long moment. "She'll like you." He said again, quietly.

Sheva smiled at him gently. "I'm sure I'll like her too."

"You'd be crazy not to." Chris pulled a spare sock hat out of his jacket and handed it to her. "Here. Your ears will freeze."

Considerate. And so confusing.

Sheva slipped it even though she knew it would mess up her hair. "I didn't think it was going to be so blasted cold here."

Chris opened the door for her and held it as she gingerly made her way onto the porch. The cold blasted her in the face like a pissed off prom date. He took her elbow to hold her steady as she walked down the steps.

At the base of the steps, she paused. She was in two inch heels. And there was at least a foot of snow on the ground.

"Well.." She laughed a little. "What a fool I am. I'm usually so good at planning for missions. Always prepared. But here I am in Montana, in the middle of winter, in open toed two inch heels."

Chris couldn't stop the smile. He put an arm behind her back, slid one under her legs and picked her up. The gooey female part in her melted a little because she weighed a good buck twenty and he didn't even strain under the weight. She wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Sorry. I didn't expect you to carry me."

"It's fine. I carry bags of grain heavier then you." Chris navigated the snow easily, headed toward the truck where Leon waited patiently behind the wheel.

Sheva watched his breath fog out in front of his face as he moved. The snow was just flurries at this point, the heaviest part of the storm having come in and out.

"Why Montana?" She wondered as they walked.

"Why not?" He met her eyes for a moment. "It's quiet here. My grandparents owned this place. When they passed a few years ago, I took it over. Claire and Kevin bought the land on the other side of the valley. Jill has family here. It all made sense at the time."

Sheva nodded a little. "You and Jill…there's no hope there?"

He paused in his walking, met her eyes, and then started walking again. "No. We tried for a long time before we separated. We just grew apart. It happens."

"You still love her." Not a question. The truth.

Chris shrugged a little. "She was my wife."

Sheva noticed the use of vernacular in that statement. WAS. She WAS my wife. Not she is. The part of her that was interested in him was happy to hear him phrase it that way.

Chris shifted her in his arms as they approached the truck and Leon opened the door. Setting her inside, Chris adjusted her legs and buckled her seat belt for her. It was a fatherly thing to do. Sheva wasn't sure she liked that. She didn't want him to think of her like a daughter.

"You driving?" Leon asked as Chris shut her door and turned to face him.

"You know the way?"

Leon's look was very droll.

"Right. Stupid question. But I'll drive."

Nodding, Leon opened the back door behind Sheva and climbed in. Chris made his way around the front end of the truck.

"Everything okay?" Leon asked before Chris climbed into the car.

"Fine." Sheva smiled.

The trip to Claire and Kevin's didn't take long at all in the massive truck. It ate up the distance and the snow like a starving predator.

Their house sat low in the valley. It was a cottage, quaint and cute, looking picture perfect with its piping chimney and red front door. Nestled amongst the snow, it was like a well crafted painting.

Chris pulled up behind a black 4x4. A maroon Tundra sat off to one side. And in between was Claire's blue Chevy Tahoe.

Sheva lifted a brow.

"Jill's truck." Chris informed her and climbed out. Leon opened Sheva's door.

"Need me to carry you?" He smiled a little with the question.

Chris made a pfft sound. "You'll drop her half way there, skinny."

Leon rolled his eyes and scooped her up. He didn't struggle with her weight either. "Bigger muscles doesn't mean stronger, hero. I could carry you too if I had to."

Chris fluttered a hand in front of his face like a damsel in distress. "My hero!"

Sheva laughed. Leon set her down on the porch and knocked.

The door burst open. The face on the other side was delicate with a crop of shaggy looking dark hair and eyes as blue as the sky just before dawn. Sheva didn't understand kids these days with their shaggy styles. To her it was just Beatles hair, straight out of the sixties.

The adorable little urchin, in a Rolling Stones T-shirt and holey jeans, had to be Eve Redfield.

"Dad!" The little girl launched herself into his arms. "You came!"

Chris picked her up and carried her back inside wrapped around him like a monkey. "Course I came. As soon as I heard you'd be here."

Eve grinned as he sat her down and took off his parka. "Mom won't let me come see you at the house anymore. She said you're having a hard time and we need to leave you be. You having a hard time, Dad?"

Leon shrugged out of his parka, listening. Here was Chris's chance to be honest with his daughter. She was almost ten years old. Smart as a whip and capable of getting it. If he lied to her, he'd start burning a bridge that was already hanging by a thread.

"Yeah." Chris answered, tucking his hat into his pocket. "Yeah I am. But I'm working on it."

Eve nodded solemnly. "Hey Uncle Leon." She turned and Leon embraced her, ruffling her hair.

"Geez kid. When'd you get so big?"

Eve grinned. "Have to keep up with my Dad, ya know?"

Leon snorted and turned as Jill wandered into the kitchen.

The experiments in Africa had stolen her dark hair forever but she still looked beautiful. Trim and athletic in jeans and a red cashmere sweater. Her blonde hair was loose and curly around her back and shoulders.

"Hey Leon."

"Hey Jill." They embraced briefly.

Eve tilted her head. "You must be Sheva."

Sheva nodded. "You must be Eve. Its very nice to finally meet you."

"I've heard lots about you. You helped save my Mom."

Sheva smiled gently. "Only a little. Your Dad did most the work."

Jill and Sheva shook hands. "You look good, Sheva."

"You as well."

Jill wandered into the main part of the kitchen to stir a pot on the stove. "Kevin and Claire are in the living room."

Leon nodded and he, Eve, and Sheva made there way out of the room.

Chris hung up Sheva's parka.

"Christopher."

He turned to face Jill as she made her way toward him.

"I'm glad you came."

"I didn't come for you." Chris toed off his boots. "I came for Eve."

"I know that. She's missed you."

"She wouldn't have to if you'd let her come see me."

"You know why I don't. You're a mess. I don't need my nine year old daughter to walk in on her drunk ass father bleeding in a bathtub. You want her to see that?"

Chris shook his head. "Of course not."

"Okay then. I'm not punishing you, Chris. You need to get your life in order before she can come over. Its that easy."

Two pairs of blue eyes held for a moment. "You're right." He said finally. "I'm trying."

"I can see that. Is it Sheva being here that's helping?"

Chris smiled a little. Jill wasn't sure she liked that smile. She wasn't even sure she liked Sheva. Jill thought there was something shady about that girl.

Or maybe there wasn't. Maybe she was just jealous.

She knew that she and Chris didn't work as a couple. But that didn't mean she wanted him to find someone else. Crazy but true.

Jill skimmed her fingers over his arm. He blinked in surprise.

"Maybe later we could take a walk."

He blinked again. Was she serious? What was that look on her face?

"Okay." He replied slowly. Was she flirting?

Jill smiled and turned away.

Two seconds later, Leon came hurrying back into the kitchen.

"Shit and piss."

Chris lifted his brows. "Is this Jeopardy? You want me to phrase a question based on that answer?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "I didn't know Ashley was going to be here. The second I walked into the living room, she was rubbing all over me like a cat in heat."

Chris chuckled. "You know she and Sherry are good friends. Ashley is her Maid of Honor."

"More like dishonor. That girl is all kinds of dirty. What kind of person gives you a hug and tries to grope your dick in the same moment?"

Chris nodded with appreciation. "She's what…twenty two? She's horny. It might not hurt you to go for it."

"Noooo thanks. I don't need to roll in the hay with the Presidents daughter. Speaking of which, where's the Secret Service? They should be here on detail if she's here."

Jill smiled. "There's five BSAA agents in this house. I think he figured she was covered."

The clack of high heels coming down the hallway had Leon looking panicked. "She's coming!" He glanced around. "Gotta hide."

And off he went to slip into the bathroom. Chris heard the lock click on the door.

Really. The guy had faced monster, mutants, mass amounts of hungry undead and he was scared to death of a twenty two year old coed with a crush.

Ashley emerged, dressed in a plaid mini skirt with a white open necked top. She had a pink streak in her bouncy blonde hair and more make up then a transvestite hooker. Her thin legs were encased in thigh high white stockings and her feet fitted with black platform Mary Janes. All in all, she looked like a naughty catholic school girl.

"Heya Chris. You seen Leon?"

Chris thought about torturing Kennedy but decided to play nice. "Nope. I think he might have gone out to the truck to get something."

"'K." Ashley chewed her gum thoughtfully. "You see him, tell him I need his help with something…in my room."

"Will do." Chris kept his face straight until the girl disappeared down the hallway again. He laughed as Leon emerged from the bathroom.

"Right. Her room. That'll happen."

Jill snickered. "That girl loves you Leon. You should give her a chance."

Leon gave Jill a very dead pan look. "No. And no again. She's too young for me anyway."

Jill had to say it. "I see what you mean. She and Sherry and Sheva are all around the same age right?"

Chris lifted a brow. "Sheva's twenty four."

Jill shrugged. "Coupla years. Not much difference."

Ah, Leon thought, that was how the wind was blowing in the kitchen. Jill was making it rather clear that she disapproved of whatever was going on with Chris and Sheva. Interesting. And ultimately none of her business.

"Big difference." Leon replied. "Sheva is a grown up. Ashley is a spoiled kid. Big big difference."

Dinner was served an hour later. Claire had made a big turkey with mashed potatos, squash, cornbread hash and stuffing. Jill had brought over her famous green beans and ham salad. Ashley had contributed a bottle of expensive Scotch (courtesy of her father's endless pantry). Eve, it seemed, had helped Kevin make Apple cobbler for desert.

"The only reason I'll eat that," Chris said of the cobbler, "Is because I know Eve helped make it. Otherwise, I wouldn't touch it."

Kevin narrowed his eyes. "I'm a good cook, ass wipe."

"Yeah. Sloppy joes out of a can isn't cooking." Leon responded and Kevin slapped him on the back of the head.

"Boys." Claire admonished. "Sit down and be nice."

Kevin sneered. Leon and Chris chuckled and everyone sat down for dinner.

Ashley scooted her chair over and thrust her hand on Leon's thigh suggestively. He cringed and gave panicked eyes to Sheva on his other side.

Taking pity on him, she addressed the girl to try to turn her attention. "So, Ashley, you're in school with Sherry?"

Ashley bobbed her head happily. "Yep. Third year law. I'm going to be a DA. And then a judge. And then a Senator."

Good GOD, Leon thought, that was scary. Ashley Graham already had her Daddy's power. Imagine how far he'd have to run if she had her own.

Sheva nodded. "That's pretty ambitious. I hope you make it."

"I will." Ashley shrugged. "My Daddy is the president."

Sheva stuck her tongue in her cheek. "I heard that."

Ashley's hand shifted to Leon's earlobe to rub. "I asked Daddy what the husband of a female president is called. You know since its not the first lady."

"Mm-hmm." Sheva prompted trying not to laugh at the paleness of Leon's skin.

"He wasn't really sure since we've never had one. I'm going to be the first. I think Leon would like living in the White House. I'd still give him the First Lady's quarters."

Leon stood up abruptly looking vaguely like he might vomit. "I'm going to use the bathroom. Excuse me."

He all but ran out of the dining room. Sheva chuckled quietly as she sipped her wine.

Ashley grinned. "He's just playing hard to get."

Chris and Eve were deep in conversation about her karaoke machine she'd set up in the basement. Apparently she was trying to talk her Dad into using it after dinner.

"Dad, you can do Enter Sandman!"

"Oh!" Sheva exclaimed. "I can't wait to hear that!"

"No." Chris shook his head. "No way."

"Come on Dad!"

Kevin kissed Claire's fingers. "Yeah, come on, you wimp. Why not?"

"You gonna sing, Ryman?"

"Sure." Kevin shrugged. "I do it all the time."

Claire sighed. "It's true. You haven't lived until you hear Kevin singing Friends in Low Places."

Chris looked appalled at the idea. "I heard Ryman sing once at J's on Karaoke night. That was bad enough."

Kevin made a pfft sound. "I was drunk."

"Drunk doesn't make you sound like a dying cow, dude. That's just being tone deaf."

"B-" Kevin caught Claire's look and rephrased what he'd been going to say. "Bite me, Redfield."

"So karaoke it is!" Jill exclaimed as they finished eating and started cleaning up plates. "Right after coffee. Coffee anyone?"

"Me." Kevin raised a hand. Chris, Claire, and Sheva all echoed it.

Ashley perked up. "Mocchachino?"

Jill chuckled. "Sorry honey. Only the boring kind brewed in a pot with regular beans. We have cream though."

"Ugh. Pass." Ashley took out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Billy? Hi. Yeah I want a mocchachino." She listened for a moment. "I don't care if its twenty miles to the nearest Starbucks. Go get me one!"

She hung up her phone. "Stupid Secret Service. They know better then to argue."

Sheva was vaguely amused at the same time she was disgusted. Spoiled rich girls just didn't appreciate anything. She knew Ashley's fascination with Leon was very simple. He'd saved her. He was handsome, older, and an asskicker. He was a bad boy who kept on rejecting her. And that just made her want him more.

Ashley said, pouting, "I don't like that dude Dad replaced Leon with on my detail. Billy Coen. What a stupid name. Ex-Marines or something. And what's with his mullet? Someone should tell him that look died with _Achy Breaky Heart._"

Chris laughed outright. Kevin snickered into his beer. Everyone there knew Billy Coen. He was Rebecca's husband. And, Sheva knew, another Raccoon City survivor. Apparently they all still kept in touch.

Sheva rose and followed Jill into the kitchen to see if she needed help.

Jill was pouring steaming black coffee into mugs. "Where'd Leon go?" She asked as Sheva made her way over.

"He might have run all the way back to New York."

Jill laughed a little. "That girl is certainly tenacious. Of course, girls that age are always fascinated by older men."

Sheva lifted a brow at the underlying tone. Surely she was just reading too much into the comment.

"Most of them don't realize that guys in their thirties who aren't already married aren't looking for anything but a quick tumble."

Sheva definitely wasn't reading too much into that. That was aimed at her. Interested in this change in the wind, she eyed Jill. Was she jealous?

Sheva was generally very blunt about these kinds of things. "Are you warning me away from Chris?"

Jill looked at her in surprise. "Do I need to warn you away?"

"It seems you think you do. Which really isn't necessary."

Jill wiped her hands on a dish towel and turned to face Sheva. She preferred this honesty. It was refreshing. "You're not interested in him that way?"

Sheva lifted a brow. "That's not really your business, is it?"

"When it concerns my daughter it is."

"I wouldn't do anything to harm Eve."

"She's fragile right now. She thought she'd lost me. And now she thinks she's losing Chris. The last thing she needs is some girl coming in and taking her Daddy's attention away."

Sheva crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not a girl. And I'm not taking her Daddy away. I'm here to help him. He's a big boy, I'm sure he can make the right decisions about his daughter. And himself."

Sheva moved passed Jill and picked up the tray of coffee. "Thank you for your concern, Jill. Really."

Jill stood there for a moment until Sheva was gone. She was pretty sure the other woman had just told her to fuck off in a more polite fashion.

Leon was stepping back into the kitchen when Sheva reemerged with the tray to place it on the counter.

"There you are." She smiled. "We thought you'd run away."

"I did. But then I figured the other body guards would laugh at me if I didn't come back."

Sheva grinned at him. "Your ears are pink."

"Yeah I forgot my hat."

The clack clack of approaching heels made Leon move. Sheva glanced up in surprise as he backed her against the counter.

"What a-"

"Sorry." He cupped her face and kissed her.

Sheva's hands dropped the dish towel and lifted, fisting in the front of his shirt. It was a rather chaste kiss at first. And she knew it was all for Ashley's benefit. Apparently he thought he could get the other woman to leave him alone if he pretended to be interested in another girl.

It was a closed mouth press of lips to lips. He didn't push, didn't even invade. He was as gentlemanly as possible about it.

Sheva knew that there was no way the girl coming down the hallway would believe this. It was too staged, felt too contrived.

Sheva slid her hands up his chest, cupped the back of his head in her fingers and aligned a thumb on either side of his ears. "Please." She whispered, "She'll never fall for a kiss like that."

"You're probably ri-"

Sheva jerked him down to her and smashed their mouths together.

He might have protested, realized he didn't want to, and went with it. His stiff carriage relaxed, his arms wrapped around her and at the first teasing press of her tongue, he opened his mouth.

Electric, Sheva thought, the iceman had an electric kiss. Their tongues mated, tasting and retreating like well trained soldiers.

There was a gasp from the back of the room, unnoticed by the two currently engaged in open war fare. Sheva heard the retreat of foot steps followed by a howling wail of the broken hearted.

It didn't matter, she thought, and her mind raced. She knew they had moments before people flooded the kitchen to see what the fuss was about.

Leon drew away from her. His skin was flushed. "Tha-"

"Wait. Not yet." She took his hand and tugged. Confused, he followed her out the back door onto the back stoop into the cold.

"Didn't you hear her screaming like somebody kicked her dog?" Leon queried. "It worked."

Sheva turned and pushed him gently. His back bumped against the wall of the house. In the dark, her beautiful face looked feral and feline and hungry.

"I have to know." She said it so quietly he almost couldn't hear it.

"Know what?" His voice echoed in the darkness, loud in the quiet snow filled world.

"If you were acting." She slipped her hands up under his shirt, raked her nails over his chest. "If I was."

They called him Iceman because he was cold. Because he disconnected and set aside and pushed through pain and horror, heartache and hurt. Because he didn't feel a thing.

They were wrong. He felt it all. He felt everything in nearly strong, sharp relief. It was like living in a bubble sometimes. He simply cut himself off from anything, anyone, and everything that mattered. It was how he survived. How he killed so efficiently, so perfectly.

There was a bustling inside. Someone said, "What are you talking about Ashley? They aren't in here."

Sheva met his eyes from inches away. "We can go back in."

And the iceman said, "Not yet."

He grabbed her hand and drew her out into the snow. She stumbled a little in the heavy fall of it and he lifted her and kept moving.

He wasn't sure what this was. He didn't know. He hadn't given in to an urge since the last time Ada Wong had slipped into his bed in the middle of the night. The iceman be damned, he was as hot blooded as the next man.

He pushed open the barn door and set her on the floor, turning to close it behind them. It wasn't much warmer in here but the hay strewn around the floor at least took some of the chill out of her feet.

Sheva shifted as he turned, picking her up under her arm pits like a child. He set her down on the work table in the middle of the barn and stepped into her.

She parted her legs to allow him to get closer to her and his cold hands pushed her dress up her thighs to allow him better access.

He didn't know this girl. Not really. Knew nothing about her save that she was witty, she was strong, she may or may not have been in love with Chris Redfield, and she wanted him. It was enough, in that moment, it had to be.

They kissed again, wet and deep, tongues and teeth brushing and crushing the other as their hands explored.

His ran up the outside of her thighs, found the tops of her lacey thigh highs and slid around to palm the feel of her damp through her panties. She was wearing a garter belt. That alone was so sexy he thought he'd die right there.

She caught his face and kissed him again, her own hands under his shirt and pushing under the waistband of his jeans to trace against his hips.

Sheva knew only two things in that moment. One-she barely knew this man. And Two-she wanted him in a way that was nearly painful.

Her attraction to Chris made sense. She knew Chris. She respected, adored, and idolized him. He was handsome, heroic, honest and sincere. Sure he was hurting now but she knew he'd find his way back to the man she'd fallen for in Africa.

But her attraction to Leon was a mystery. He was a contradiction in himself. This attraction wasn't based on respect. It wasn't based on knowing he was a good person or liking him for the things he believed. This was purely physical. Purely sexual. Almost animalistic. It was the most basic form of attraction. Nearly primitive.

The cold went unnoticed as they kissed, enraptured with each other. He slid the straps of her dress over her shoulders, mouth devouring the skin each inch of lowering cloth revealed. She twisted her fingers in his hair as he nibbled at the slope of her left breast and nuzzled at the valley between them.

Leon leaned back enough to cup her chin in his hand and hold her face steady as he studied her.

Sheva couldn't help but be aroused at the look in those eyes. There, she thought, was the iceman. It was almost calculating, that look. As if he was taking stock of her body and soul. And the mixture of hot desire and cool intellect made her moan in the back of her throat.

Eyes open, he dipped his head to take her mouth. It was a testing thing, his tongue on her lips, his hand tightly gripping her jaw to hold her head still for his assault. Just enough teeth, just enough pressure to drive her wild.

He let go of her jaw and drew back from her and his hand slid up the inside of her legs. He moved them over ankles, calves, knees along the insides of her thighs causing her legs to fall farther open at the touch until there was nothing between his gaze and her waiting body but the small swatch of silk that was her panties.

Fire engine red. Her panties were fire engine red.

He licked his lips as his fingers moved, hooking around the edges of those panties. His eyes asked silent permission.

Stunned and surprised, she nodded a little. Too think, that even in this moment, deep inside the heart of desire, he was still enough of a gentleman to ask her permission.

He drew her panties down her legs, slowly, painfully slow.

When she was free of them, the cold touched her exposed body. She shivered both in response and in need as he studied her. His thumb traced gently over the apex of her body, teasingly soft.

She bucked a little against his touch. And the smile on his face was dark and sexual, telling her he was thinking dirty little thoughts.

"Do it." She breathed. "Do it."

She wanted him fast and he obliged. He thrust two fingers into her, his thumb tracing circles at the apex of her body. Sheva made some sound between a squeal and a gasp, her body arching back as the straps of her dress fell completely, exposing her small breasts to the open air.

The cold, the desire, made her nipples hard and tight and Leon took her into his mouth, rolling the taste of her there like sampling fine wine.

First and foremost Leon Kennedy had always been a gentleman. An hour ago, the idea of banging a girl in an old barn in the dead of winter wouldn't have even existed. Now nothing seemed hotter.

He finger fucked her quick and steady, thumbing her clit as his mouth devoured her skin. They kissed, wet and long, deep and hard.

When she was wild with it, he pulled back enough to spill his hands all over her body, palming her breasts, kneading her thighs.

He'd never in his life done something like this. He'd been with women, plenty. He'd never had a one nighter though. Never slipped into a bar, picked up a girl, fucked her in the back of his car and never thought of her again. He wasn't that guy.

But he was about to become him. Because he just didn't know how to stop himself.

Leon caught that backs of her thighs and jerked her forward. Her bottom brushed along the cold wood. She gasped at the rush of cold air on her naked skin.

"Yes," She breathed, "Yes. Take me."

He jerked Sheva to the end of the table and spread her legs wide. He wanted to. Jesus he wanted to thrust into her until they were both crazy from it.

But he wouldn't. Couldn't. Not like this. She deserved better then some stranger banging her in a barn in the dead of winter. She just did. And it wasn't like he walked around the Montana country side carrying a rubber.

So he did the next best thing: he dropped to his knees in front of her.

She had a moment of surprise before he took her into his mouth. Gasping, undone, she sat straight up on the table, her fingers spearing into his hair to hold his mouth against her as he took her.

She couldn't…hadn't…didn't…her mind was a scrambled mess of pure emotion. She couldn't do anything but feel as he dined on her body like a starving man.

They'd said Leon Kennedy was a ghost. Nobody mentioned he was also a GOD when it came to oral sex.

He tongued her like a pro, flicking, licking, lapping and retreating until she was nearly insane. Finally he lifted his hand and filled her with his fingers and she lost it. She bowed, her body tightened, and she came, clawing at his shoulders. Her thighs twitched and she cried out, riding the waves of orgasm until she was back in her body in the cold night air.

She shivered and Leon rose, pulling her dress down her thighs and legs. He pressed her legs together and raised the straps of her dress.

Sheva shivered a little at the look on his face. It was cool and detached.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "Leon…you okay?"

He put his hands on her arms and rubbed briskly, trying to put some of the warmth back into her. "I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yes." Sheva was embarrassed now. She didn't know why but she felt like she should apologize. "I'm sorry."

Surprised, he met her eyes. "For what?"

"You didn't…I didn't. You know. I just…you did all the work. I should've…"

He laughed. He couldn't help it. She was so god damn charming. "You were wonderful. You were amazing. It was incredible."

"But you didn't want to. You just…" Sheva sighed. She wasn't usually this awkward after sex. Not that they'd had sex. Or had they? Hell she didn't know.

Leon scooped her up in his arms and started for the door. "I like you, Sheva. A lot. I imagine after what just happened, you like me too."

"Yes."

"I also respect you. So as much as I wanted to nail you on the table in Claire's barn, I didn't. For more reasons then I can name. And none of them had anything to do with not wanting to watch your eyes as I slid into you."

She shivered at the image. Wow. The ghost was a master of more then just oral sex. He was also a wizard with sexual imagery. "Why do I feel like I should apologize then?"

"Because you just had an orgasm. And I didn't. And that makes you think I'm not satisfied."

Sheva winced at how blunt he was. Of course, _that part_ she did know about Leon Kennedy.

"I am. I was. Watching you…that was more satisfying then you will ever know." He sat her down at the back door. "But I'm here to help Chris. Until I do that. Until you figure out what your feelings are for him. Until we all know where we stand, I think we should take it easy on whatevers happening here."

Sheva met his eyes squarely. "I think you're right. Why do I feel like apologizing again?" Even worse, even though she KNEW he was right. Even though she agreed. She still wanted to mount him right there on the porch in broad view of the open window. The idea of the people inside maybe chancing upon their illicit tryst gave her a vicarious thrill.

"Don't. I like you, like I said. I'm a patient man. I'm not in any hurry. And I really don't share well. So if it turns out you're all about Chris. Then I don't want to get involved with you to the point we have to part with anger. I'd rather just be attracted to you, crush on you a little bit and wait it out. That way, if you don't feel the same way about me at the end of the day-nobody gets hurt."

"Jesus, no wonder you're called the Iceman." She had to smile. "No woman, anywhere, would ever be that honest after what just happened. Or that willing to wait."

"I'm not a woman." Leon moved to open the door for her.

"Clearly. You're also the strangest most fascinating man I have ever met."

"Thank you." Leon opened the door to warmth and laughing voices from the basement. Sheva started through the door and he leaned down to whisper in her ear as she passed. "I also don't play fair."

She blinked, wondering what he meant as he passed her. And then his hand brushed, oh so casually, over butt as he went. She jumped a little.

Accidental? Right? I don't play fair, he'd said. Not accidental at all. He was going to sit back, sure. But apparently that didn't mean he wasn't going to try to torture her in the process.

She wasn't sure if she hated him for that or was so ungodly turned on by the idea that she'd have to take a cold shower. Infuriating, was Leon Kennedy.

In the basement, Kevin was doing karaoke. Chris looked like he was torn between vomiting and passing out from the pain of it. Claire was swinging a lighter back and forth above her head in tribute. Jill and Ashley seemed to be engaged in a killer game of Wii Tennis.

Eve was working the karaoke machine. She waved as they came down the stairs.

"There you are! Everybody wondered where you went."

Leon smiled. "We went for a walk. Nice night for it."

Sheva wondered if she was the only one who heard "walk" and got a dirty image. Most likely as she'd just finished getting mouth fucked in the barn. God…just thinking about it, the dirty, trampy, sluttiness of it made her shiver in delight.

Ashley leapt to her feet and Kevin abruptly quit singing.

His voice was loud on the microphone. "Should I say let's get ready to rummmmble?"

Claire slapped him on the arm. "I'm sure Ashley was mistaken. She says you two were making out in my kitchen."

Leon lifted an eyebrow. "That's not at all true."

Claire smiled. Kevin made a face that said he didn't believe it for a moment. Chris was watching them with narrowed eyes.

"I SAW you!" Ashley wailed dramatically. "You had your tongue in his mouth! WHORE!"

And so the President's daughter rushed her.

Sheva Alomar had a moment of indecision. She'd never backed down to a mouthy bitch before in her life but at the same time, she wasn't sure it was okay to back hand the President's pride and joy.

So she let the girl rush her. Sheva side stepped her and Ashley hit the wall, pushing off to race after her again with her fingers made into claws. Good, she didn't have to worry too much. Ashley Graham fought like a girl.

Sheva grabbed both of her wrists and forced her arms behind her back. Ashley squealed.

"Let me go, you bitch!"

"Calm down and I will. You're acting ridiculous. If we were kissing that is our business and not yours. You're not his girlfriend. You're lucky if you're even his friend. So get a little self respect and quit embarrassing yourself." Sheva pushed her away.

Ashley turned, eyes filling with tears, and rubbing her wrists. "You hurt me! You stupid bimbo! I'll have you deported!"

Sheva laughed. "Go ahead and try. I'm not even a citizen of this country to begin with, you silly little girl."

Leon shook his head. "Ashley, go away. You're embarrassing yourself and your father."

"But Leon," She wailed, "I LOVE YOU. Don't you know that?"

Kevin had to laugh and barely made it out the basement door before he exploded with it. Claire shook her head and followed, berating him for his insensitivity.

"Ashley," Leon said coolly. "You don't love me. You don't even know me. I can promise you whatever you're feeling is a crush. It'll go away."

"No it won't! It never will! I'm going to die loving you!" Ashley raced up the stairs in a dramatic exit.

Chris snorted a laugh into his soda as he took a sip. "She's going to die loving you."

"Shut up." Leon shook his head. "I have to feel bad for the kid. She clearly has no idea about how things work."

"You saved her life." Jill said. "She thinks that the princess and her handsome savior always end up together."

Leon shrugged. "Obviously that's not true to life."

Claire emerged back into the house. "So were you kissing in my kitchen, Leon Kennedy?"

Chris lifted a brow. Jill looked WAY too interested in his answer. Sheva was curious how he was going to play it.

"I was." Leon smiled. "I heard her coming down the hallway."

Ah, he was going to play it like that. Sheva grinned. "We did it to get her to back off. Then we ran out of the house to hide for awhile."

They were being studied by a bunch of skeptical eyes. Finally, with blank faces firmly in place, people started to nod.

Even Chris seemed to buy the story.

"Didn't know what else to do." Leon remarked. "She wasn't taking the hint."

Sheva shrugged. "I don't mind being the bad guy. She doesn't know me. She can't hurt me with her Daddy's power. I'm not American."

"After that little _Hills _moment," Claire started up the stairs. "I have to start cleaning up."

"I'll help." Leon said as he started toward the stairs to follow her. "Dinner tasted great, Claire. Really."

He paused for just a brief second as he passed Sheva and put his mouth against her ear to whisper, "You tasted better."

Her whole body tightened. She felt like he'd just brushed a finger down her erotic center. She smiled woodenly as he disappeared upstairs.

Chris and Eve were now doing karaoke together. Kevin had taken over the game of Wii Tennis with Jill.

"You slimey ass turd!" Jill exclaimed. "That's cheating!"

"How so?" Kevin answered, lifting his arms to fend off her punches. "It's called a spike!"

"It's called a CHEAT!"

Sheva moved over to sit on the sofa and listen to father and daughter. They had nice voices. She didn't think Chris had a shot in hell to get on American Idol or anything but she figured his voice was perfect for singing lullabies to a fussy baby.

She was thinking of what Leon had said. She needed to figure out how she felt about Chris. It didn't really matter. She wasn't going to pursue anything with him. Jill had implied she was going to try to get back together with him.

Sheva couldn't stand in the way of a family. It wasn't right.

Jill threw down her Wii mote. "You suck!"

Kevin blew a raspberry at her and executed an arm pit fart.

"And you're disgusting!"

"I don't CARE!" Kevin hooted. "I won! I even let you try best two out of three. I STILL WON!"

Chris snorted before Jill grabbed his arm. "Come on. Let's go for that walk."

Sheva felt Chris turn his eyes to her for a moment. She gave him a very blank stare back. She didn't want him to make that decision based on anything on her face.

"Alrighty."

Kevin gestured to Sheva. "Come on, girly. You're turn. Eve, turn on some kick ass tunes for Uncle Kev. He's about to make mince meat out of our new friend."

Outside, Jill looped her arm through Chris's as they walked.

"I've been thinking I should move back home."

And the gloves were off, just like that.

He stopped, met her eyes. "We haven't been together in almost two years. Why the change of heart?"

Jill smiled. "You came for me in Africa. You refused to believe I was dead. You still love me. That means something to me."

"Do you love me, Jill? Is that what you're saying?"

Jill smiled at him. "Of course I love you. You're my Chris."

My Chris. It sounded good to hear it. But it rang hollow for some reason.

"What is this, Jill? You left me remember? You said you didn't feel that way about me anymore and you left."

"I was wrong." She answered quietly. "I'm sorry for it. I think it's the right thing to do for us. For Eve. To be a family again."

Chris cupped her cold face. He leaned down and kissed her. Her mouth was soft and cool. She parted her lips for him. It was familiar and safe.

And he thought of Sheva as he did it.

Well…that was something. He drew back and Jill was smiling.

"See? Still there."

Chris shook his head. "Let's go back in. It's cold."

"Can I move back, Chris? Can I?"

"I need to think for a bit. Things are rough right now Jill. I need to think."

She didn't like the sound of that at all. "Alright."

Chris opened the door again to Sheva's laughter. "EAT IT! EAT IT! WHOO!"

Kevin threw his Wii mote to the floor. "WTF! Really? I thought Africa was a third world country. How the fuck you know how to play Wii Tennis!?"

Sheva chuckled and did a very entertaining and somehow adorable version of the chicken dance. Or maybe it was a victory dance. "I'm the master of all things, my friend. The MASTER!"

Kevin grumbled under his breath. "I need a smoke. The wife won't let me do it in the house. Redfield, smoke with me."

"Dude I'm not smoking anything of yours."

"Pfft. Come on." Kevin grabbed his arm and pulled him outside into the cold again.

Jill was pink in the cheeks. Sheva wondered what put that smile on her face. Maybe she didn't really want to know.

Really did she have any place to be upset? She and Chris hadn't even really kissed. She had no claim on him. And hadn't she just been out in the barn doing…things with Leon Kennedy? And yet the jealousy was niggling none the less. Lord the human heart was a wasteland of weird.

Sheva thought of Leon standing out in the dark kissing Ashley Graham. Besides the fact that that idea was INSANE, it was also galling. Okay, so she was jealous on both ends. What a mess!

Up in the kitchen, Claire was rinsing dishes as Leon set them in the dishwasher.

"Leon Kennedy, I do believe you are smiley tonight."

He met her eyes. Claire looked so happy. Pregnancy made her skin glow and her eyes light. She was all belly in her blue maternity dress.

"I've missed you, Claire. All of you. I didn't realize how much."

Claire smiled at him. "We're always here. If you ever left the Big Apple, you'd know that."

"I leave. From time to time."

"Mm-hmm, when you-know-who calls for you anyway."

Sheva paused on the stairs, eves dropping.

"I haven't seen her in months." Leon set wine glasses on the top rack. "And I don't go when she tells me to."

"Suuuure. Where was it last time? Peru?"

"She needed help."

Interesting, Sheva thought, that he sounded so standoffish about the mystery woman in question.

"She's not a good person, Leon. You know that."

"Leave it be, Claire."

"How many times does she have to betray you before you realize it?"

Leon was silent for a long moment. Sheva figured he wasn't going to answer.

Finally Claire said, "Don't you play that iceman routine with me, Leon. I know you. You can't freeze me out."

"I'm here for Chris. Let's focus on his problems."

Claire sighed. "I think Sheva being here is really helping. Did you pick up on the vibes between them? Somethings brewing there."

Again, Leon said nothing.

"What do you think about Sheva? Besides that she's beautiful."

Leon lifted a brow. "I never said she was beautiful."

"Oh please. You'd have to be dead not to notice. And you're not dead. Seriously, what do you think of her?"

Sheva crossed her arms over her chest and listened closer.

"She's a good person, I think. She obviously cares for Chris. We might butt heads over how best to deal with him. But she means well."

That was it? Sheva thought. Pretty shitty description.

"Okay. But what do you really think about her? Deep down, gut instinct?"

Leon was quiet for so long Sheva figured he wasn't going to answer again. And then he said, "I think she's strong. Loyal. I think she's got this core of steel under the outer kindness that makes her a good agent and a great humanitarian. I think she'd give you the shirt off her back if you were cold and go balls to the wall in a fire fight. I think Chris could do a lot worse. And Sheva could do a lot better."

Claire slapped his arm. "That's my brother, jerk."

"I know it. And Chris is a good guy. But he's got his head so far up his own ass, he can shit in his own mouth. He's going to ruin that girl if he doesn't figure it out. And I think you're right, I think she's a little gone over him."

Standing on the stairs, her hand pressed to her chest and her hard beating heart, Sheva thought she was a little gone over Leon Kennedy too. And that made things insanely complicated.

They started talking about simple things. The baby, Claire's health, the state of her marriage and Sheva figured it was an okay time to wander into the kitchen.

Outside in the cold, Chris took a deep drag on his cigarette.

"So Jill wants you back huh?"

Surprised, Chris met Kevin's eyes. They were of a similar height. A similar build. A similar cut actually. If Kevin was less toned and Chris less hairy well that was just superficial. Chris figured Claire could have done a helluva lot worse in a life partner.

Though he'd be damned if he ever said it to the smart ass in front of him.

"So she said."

"Six months ago you wanted her back too. What's changed?"

"Six months ago I wanted to bang Jessica Alba in the back of a Ferrari too. Doesn't mean its going to happen."

Kevin chuckled. "Seriously dude. What's changed? There's no women out here. There's no sensitive ears or PMS. Shoot straight with me."

"Ryman the idea of not being straight with you, ever, is frightening."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Quit changing the subject."

"Africa changed me. Being there. Doing what I did. Seeing what I saw. It changed me."

"Look, Chris, no offense," Kevin leaned on the wall, "But Raccoon changed us all man. The shit we did to survive. No one should have to do that shit. You did shit in Russia you don't talk about. You did shit in Paris. You did shit in Antarctica. We know you've seen worse, done worse. But what was so bad about Africa? You've been with the BSAA for years."

Chris shifted a little and stared off into the night. "I put bullets into the brains of kids. At times we were so surrounded I had to take a shotgun and blow a hole through human bodies to survive. I watched friends of mine literally eaten alive by those things. And Kirk…god they burned him alive. I could hear him screaming on the headset. I couldn't save a single one of them. All these fucking muscles and I couldn't save anyone."

Kevin watched him quietly before he answered, "You saved Jill. And dude, you ultimately saved the world. There's got to be some solace in that."

Chris met his eyes. "There is. But I can't sleep for the screaming. I can't sleep without picturing a woman trying to eat my face with a half aborted fetus coming out of her undead body. Or Matt getting smashed like putty underneath a foot of a monster bigger then a sky scraper."

"Jesus," Kevin shivered at the idea.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm just wondering if I've burnt myself out, ya know? Clearly I'm getting too old for this shit."

Kevin laid a hand on his arm. "Listen…in Raccoon I saw some messed up stuff. There was this guy…Mark. Good guy. Coupla kids. Security guard. His partner turned while we were escaping. I'd sat and drank with the old guy, Bob, every night at J's. But one of those damn rats bit him and he turned. We were on the roof top escaping and Mark starts screaming, pleading. I didn't think about it. I just shot the old guy right between the eyes. I might have convinced myself it was okay. I did the right thing. It wasn't Bob anymore. But it didn't stop there.

Not long after that were on an elevator trying to escape through an air vent and the damn thing started breaking. Mark…he was kinda…he was a bigger dude. Given to a spare tire around his middle. We helped the women through and we were the last two. I was up in the vent, trying to help Mark…when the elevator gave. I had his hands but I wasn't fast enough. The lift came barreling down. It severed him at the arms. I was left there, lying on my belly holding his hands without the rest of him."

"Fuck." Chris said quietly.

"Yeah. I had nightmares. Of course I did. We lost a lot of people trying to escape. And I was the cop, ya know? Serve and protect. And I couldn't protect any of them. I was just another body to eat to those damn zombies. So I get it. But I can tell you this, Claire helped. A lot. Being with her took the pain away. Pushing people away won't help you. But letting someone, anyone, in just might."

They stared at each other in the dark for a long moment. Finally, Chris dropped his cigarette into the coffee can used as an ashtray. "I don't know if Jill is that person."

"You need to find out, man. And if she isn't, find someone who is. Sheva came. A world away and that girl came when Claire called. No question. She's been there. She saw it with you. Maybe she's the right person to let in."

"I don't know if I can."

Kevin clapped him on the back. "When the time is right, you will."

Chris said goodbye to his daughter. He promised to pick her up after school the next day. He saw them out to their truck to leave.

When Eve was buckled in, Chris followed Jill around to the driver's side.

"Drive safe, okay?"

Jill nodded and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Think about what I said, Chris. I mean it. Okay?"

"I will."

He waved them off.

Sheva was on the porch as he made his way over, waiting on Leon to gather up the spare food Claire was forcing on them.

Chris put his arms out. "Ready for your taxi service, m'lady?"

Sheva laughed as he picked her up and started toward the truck.

"You seem…better." She said cautiously.

"I'm working on it."

"Good." Sheva shifted in his arms. "I'm glad you came out tonight."

"Me too."

He shifted her in his arms and set her in the front passenger side of the truck. He didn't mean to but as he was pulling his hands back from buckling her seat belt, he brushed her hip. He felt the garter but he didn't feel anything else.

A lifetime of feeling up girls told him in a space of a single second that Sheva Alomar was not wearing any panties. He went rock hard in a flat two seconds. Jesus. A garter and no panties.

He was not cut out for this kind of thing.

Chris had two choices, ignore it, or do something about it. He glanced back at the house. The door was still abruptly closed. He could…touch her. She'd probably let him. He could slide his hand right up her skirt and touch her. He was throbbing with pain at the hotness of groping her in the dark this close to someone seeing them.

He closed her door and walked around to the driver's side. He should be sainted for such a thing.

Sheva Alomar was not wearing any panties. Jesus, the world was cruel.

She wasn't because her panties were in the pocket of the other man currently climbing into Chris Redfield's truck. But he was the only one in the truck that knew it.

And those panties would make things more complicated then any of them could ever imagine.

'


	3. Chapter 3

_Here we go again._

_I'm enjoying writing this. Romance is fun! I don't know who's going to end up with Sheva in this story. I've gotten a lot of ya'll telling me Leon. It might be that way. I wish I could see the end! But she is going to be torn between our two handsome devils for a bit. If she doesn't get love from them both how can she make a decision!?!?! _

_Chris is definitely an asshole in this story. I give him a little leeway to do it seeing as he's suffering. In my head, he's still the wise cracking philanderer from BSAA so it's a change to pen him so somber. Look for Chris and Leon to come to blows at some point in this story, it's inevitable and weird for me as I don't even know who would win!_

_Without further ado and with much love and thanks to you all for reading this garbage (that I love)…_

**III. Convoluted**

"_**Men are gentle, honest and straightforward. Women are convoluted, deceptive and dangerous." –Anonymous**_

They were all thinking of Sheva's panties when they pulled up in front of the house.

Leon went up to bed without a word. Chris didn't care much; this was his way after all.

He didn't notice the fact that Leon brushed deliberately against Sheva's back as he went. Because, of course, Leon Kennedy knew she wasn't wearing any panties. After all, they were in his pocket.

Sheva was aware she didn't have them. Though she didn't know where they'd went and feeling the man brush against her with nothing but his jeans and her flimsy dress between them made her body sing.

Chris was trying to think of anything but the fact she wasn't wearing any panties. He was torn between being infuriated because she seemed so content to make coffee and not retire to her room and save herself from his lechery and hornier then a boy with his first crush.

He moved down the hallway to his own bedroom, shedding his shirt as he went to toss it negligently over the back of the chair there. He was nearly thirty six years old. Surely he could just go rub one out in the bathroom and spare himself the biggest set of blue balls in the world.

Maybe he should just take Jill back. That would help him forget Sheva Alomar in a garter with no panties. Jill was his WIFE after all. And before he'd had Sheva straddling his lap, he'd sincerely wanted her back. Did one little dry hump change a decade of marriage?

No. Certainly not.

"Did you want so coffee?"

That voice from the doorway. He turned, shirtless, and met her eyes. Maybe it did. Maybe it changed everything.

"No. I don't want coffee."

Sheva averted her eyes politely from his chest and stomach. Lord the man was so big. Would she ever get over how ripped he was?

"Okay. I'm going to head to bed then if you don't want anything else."

Jesus. That was a loaded statement if he ever heard one.

He moved toward her.

He didn't know if he was amused or aroused by the fact that she was looking anywhere but at him. Apparently she was being modest on his account.

"I'm going to take a shower." He knew he was playing with fire. "But there's no clean towels in the bathroom. Would you mind grabbing one from the other bathroom for me?"

"Sure." She took the excuse to leave his presence like a god send. She was a mess. Part of her wanted to climb the ladder and climb atop the man lying there. The other part wanted to get soapy, slippery, naked and wet with Chris Redfield.

Maybe she was ovulating. That would explain the hormone disaster raging in her right now.

Sheva opted for option three: deliver the towels and beat a hasty retreat to her own bedroom to cool off. Option four was to run all the way back to Africa but she wasn't going to do that.

The shower was running, steam billowing out into the hallway as she laid the towels atop the bathroom sink. Chris's bathroom was done in shades of hunter green and maroon. It was a country bathroom. A hunters bathroom. A painting of a snow white wolf decorated the wall, his arctic blue eyes immortalized forever against the dead span of winter trees and snow behind him.

The shower doors were frosted and the outline of that amazing body was seen as if through a halo of snow. Sheva said quietly, "Your towels are right here."

"Thank you." The shower died.

He wasn't. Surely he wasn't just gonna…she was RIGHT HERE. She started to turn and the shower door slid open. She grabbed the towels like a barricade and clutched them to her chest.

She could have fled. It wasn't like he was going to give chase like the hungry wolf on his bathroom wall. But she was rooted to the spot like she'd looked into the face of Medusa and turned to stone.

The shower door revealed him standing there, completely unconcerned at the idea she might be watching. He was running his fingers through his hair with his head tilted back squeezing out the excess water. It showed his chest, his shoulders, his arms to wonderful advantage.

Sheva thought maybe she squeaked.

Chris opened his blue eyes and the look in them was similar to the wolf on the wall. "You okay?" He asked innocently as he stepped out of the tub. The towels in her arms obstructed her view of anything lower then his hips. She wasn't sure what part of her was bigger. The part that wanted to see him or the part that wanted to lick the water off his chest.

"Oomflabbadah."

Chris lifted a brow and smirked. "Is that Swahili?"

No actually. It was gibberish. She was having trouble making the words.

Every inch of his body was cut with muscle. Lord have mercy she thought her feminine parts were going to explode from the sheer visual joy of it.

"Towels!" She finally cried. And Chris jumped because she shouted it.

His lips quirked. "So they are."

She shoved the towels at him causing him to oof. "They are for you!"

"Sheva, you're yelling."

"No I'm not!" Oh wait, she was. "You're naked!" It was accusatory.

"Yeah. I was in the shower."

"Yes you were!" Sheva spun on her heel abruptly and left the bathroom.

Smirking, Chris set the towels down on the toilet seat unused and followed her out of the bathroom.

She spun around to point at him. "You're still naked!"

"Sheva I need to go to my bedroom and get clothes."

"You're trying to torture me!"

Chris couldn't help but laugh at her. She was pink faced and looking like he'd tried to grope her in front of her parents.

"I was showering. I have to do that naked."

"Go put some clothes on, Chris Redfield! Shame on you!"

He burst out laughing. And it was a good, strong, solid laugh. Jesus he hadn't laughed like this in ages. It felt wonderful.

"Don't you laugh at me!" Sheva wagged her finger at him. When he didn't quit she slapped him on one rock solid arm. "Quit it! It's not funny!"

Chris gripped her wrist and jerked her into his body. Her flimsy dress whispered against his damp skin. The laughter cut off abruptly.

"No." She was staring up at his face with something close to fear. "No it's not funny."

Chris slid his hands down and cupped her butt in his hands. The flimsy dress over the naked flesh beneath was erotic as hell. He could feel the outline of the garter gracing the tops of her hips.

Sheva stiffened. So did Chris but for entirely different reasons and in entirely different places.

"You don't have on any panties." His voice was gruff and deep.

Her eyes widened. She somehow doubted he'd want to know why.

"I should…I need to…" She shouldn't be doing this. Her Momma hadn't raised a whore. She'd lost her panties to one man not two hours before. She didn't need to be standing in the hallway getting felt up by another one.

Chris pulled her tighter against him and through the flimsy dress she felt him. He was hard and…her eyes slid down and goggled. Hard and HUGE.

She'd missed it that morning straddling him. He was huge huge huge. And this was coming from a woman who'd spent most of her adult life in bed with black guys. And everyone knew the stereotype about black guys.

Chris massaged her butt and very deliberately ground himself against the front of her body. She whimpered and her hands slid over the damp skin of his chest. His chest was spattered with a soft amount of hair just along the top of his pectorals and trailing down the center of his chest and abdomen. That made him hairier then Leon Kennedy but not any less sexy. Nope. Not a bit.

Chris released her and drew her down the hallway to his bedroom.

Run away! Her mind hollered but she didn't. She followed him.

He shut the door and Sheva stayed rooted the spot. Turning, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed the straps of her dress down. The cloth caught on the tips of her breasts as it fell, whispering like good silk to the floor to pool at her feet.

She was in black thigh highs, two inch heels, and a fire engine red garter belt. She looked like an Egyptian goddess in all her caramel glory.

Her stomach was flat and muscled, a suggestion of a six pack there under the tautly drawn skin. Her shoulders were well defined above nicely honed biceps and long slender hands. Her breasts were creamy milk chocolate high and tight and perky. Her legs were a medical marvel, center fold long and tapered slim and athletic.

There was nothing soft about Sheva Alomar. She was a warrior goddess. An amazon overtly female and bred for endurance and speed.

Chris tugged the clip from her hair spilling the curling mass of it around her shoulders in a riot of darkness.

He traced a finger down the center of her chest and felt her inhale as that finger slid over her belly and stopped just above the line of her garter belt.

"Beautiful." He said softly as he fanned his open palm over right breast and watched the nipple contract and tighten. "Beautiful."

He had big hands. Hell he had big everything and he cupped her breasts easily in them, testing their weight and the feel of them. Real. No doubt about it. No implants here.

He thumbed the peaks of them and bent to whisk his tongue over them in turn.

Sheva shivered and grasped at his shoulders to hold upright.

He released her breasts and they bounced prettily as they fell, his hands trailing down her sides to nearly encircle her tiny waist. His thumbs almost met at her belly button. Her hips flared nicely giving her a classic hour glass shape. Chris bent to continue feeling her skin down the outside of her thighs to her ankles.

Sheva was trembling when he rose to meet her eyes again.

"I'll stop if you want, Sheva. Just give me the word."

Sheva met those swirling blue eyes. It was amazing to her how just hours before she'd been celibate. She hadn't had a man in ages. Now in just the space of a single evening she was going to be involved with two different men. And she didn't want to say no to either of them.

And she had no clue how to separate her feelings for either one.

"Stop." She whispered.

Chris nodded and dropped his hands. Sheva didn't let him move away, she gripped his arm (it took both hands) to hold him still.

And then she mirrored what he'd done to her. She skimmed her thumb over his lips, the hollow of his throat, over his collarbone and raked his nipples gently with her fingernails. His skin popped with goosebumps as she raked them down his stomach and over the top of his hip bones. She stalked around him in her high heels and raked her nails over his back and over his tight, wonderful ass. His thighs were strong and heavy with muscle and she thought one of them might be as big as her waist. It made her shiver with excitement.

Her nails raked up the outside of his thighs with their coarse sprinkling of hair and finally she moved around to the front of his body. Her long nails trailed over his sac playing gently in the soft curling hair of his groin.

He shivered and ran a hand up and down her arm. She slid her hand around him and tried not to be both aroused and afraid when her fingers couldn't close completely around his shaft.

Sheva gave him a tug and had his breath falling outward in a heavy sigh.

She released him and stepped back. "Well…good night then."

She bent to pick up her dress, smiling at the look of complete disbelief on that handsome face.

"Oh whatever." Chris laughed and grabbed her arms to pick her up off the floor until her feet dangled.

Sheva giggled girlishly.

He tossed her like she weighed nothing and she bounced on her back on his bed still giggling.

Sheva turned, presenting him with the most wonderful view of her pretty heart shaped ass in that damn garter belt as she started to crawl away from him.

Oh..oh he LOVED this. She was playing with him. And at the same time it made him rock hard with wanting her, it also lightened his heart in ways he hadn't felt in a lifetime it seemed.

Chris caught her ankle and flipped her, dragging her back to the edge of the bed. He took her knees and pushed her legs open as she struggled, her face flushed with laughter and excitement.

Just to show her how much bigger he was, he placed a hand on the apex of her body, his palm cupped at her sweet center, his fingers splayed wide toward her hips. He could nearly touch her hips with his outstretched fingers. Something in him clicked, his sac tightened in desire, and his brain said, "These are hips made for birthing babies."

Who knew why that was possibly one of the most erotic things in the world to think at this moment. Maybe his bio clock was ticking.

Sheva wiggled beneath him still trying to escape. Chris slid a finger into her and she quit struggling, she just gasped and arched into him.

She was already wet but she was tight and he had to work one finger into the tightness of her body. Her body milked his finger and caused him to grunt with the pleasure and pain in his groin.

He thumbed her clit expertly and she writhed her legs falling open for him to give him deeper access into her body.

Sheva went up onto her elbows to watch him slide his fingers into her. The differences in their skin tones, the contrast in color and texture, the visual of him touching her like that brought her to orgasm. She gasped, body bowing.

Chris knew he shouldn't. Knew he should stop and think. Logically he should take Jill back. She was his wife. His partner. He'd made a commitment to her. Didn't he owe her, himself, and their daughter a second chance? And getting back together with her would be marred by taking another woman into his bed. Right?

Maybe not. Hell they'd been separated for a long time. He'd had other women since they'd parted ways. Jill knew that. But not like this. Not here in what had once been their marriage bed. And not a woman like Sheva Alomar.

Stop, his mind whispered, stop.

"Chris…" Sheva panted as he pulled his fingers out of the glorious wonder of her body. "Oh god…"

She didn't deserve to be used like this. She didn't. He knew she wanted more from him then just a one night fuck. He owed her more then that.

He started to draw away from her and she slid her hand down her stomach and touched herself.

Undone he caught her ankles and pulled her forward to the edge of the bed. She rose up, elbows flat, fingers gripping into the sheets and twisting.

"I'm gonna fuck you." He growled, running his hands up the inside of her legs to part them farther. "Tell me no. Tell me to stop."

Sheva was torn between complete and total erotic insanity and a moment of complete confusion. There was something in his tone that was almost desperate. Desperate to have her? Or desperate for her to say no?

"Don't stop," She gasped, "Don't stop now."

She didn't think she could handle it twice in one night. And part of her knew it wasn't fair to compare either man with the other. It wasn't fair to think of Leon in this moment. It wasn't fair to want them both so much.

She almost said, Love me. But she didn't. She knew he'd stop then. And she'd die if he did.

"Tell me what you want." He demanded sliding his hands up to cup her breasts and kneed them.

Chris apparently liked to talk dirty. That was more erotic then Sheva could even begin to describe.

"Take me," Sheva groaned as he leaned over to nip delicately at her nipples, "Oh god take me now."

"Beg me," He sent a hand between her legs to thrust into her body. She jerked, humped against his hand, "Beg me for it."

"Please. Please." Her hands tried to scramble down and grab him but he jerked her forward and she fell onto her back on the bed with a scream of frustration.

"Please what?" He bit her hip and she bowed upward.

"Please take me. Fuck me. Now. Hurry."

Chris yanked her forward until she was barely on the edge of the bed. She was still tight but she was wet and he was hoping ready for him. A lot of women couldn't take all of him. He wasn't the longest cock in the world but he was wide. A lot wider then average.

He wanted to plow into her, hard and fast. Instead he eased forward, slipping in enough that she bowed off the bed to watch.

God. GOD. She wanted to watch him take her. It was awesome and erotic as hell.

"Hurry!" She gasped, "Hurry!"

He took her at her word, gripped her hips in his hands and yanked her back even as he surged forward. The force of his entrance slapped their skin together with a sweaty, wet sound. Sheva's body went rigid as the pleasure edged into pain. He was HUGE. And right at that moment it just plain hurt.

Chris went still above her. "Sheva…honey. It's okay. It's okay. Just wait a minute."

Sheva met the concerned sound of his voice. A moment before he'd sounded so gruff, so hungry now he sounded apologetic and soft. Confused, she realized her face was wet.

Well…she was crying. She hadn't meant to but the pain was something else.

Seeking to comfort him in return, she whispered hoarsely, "I'm fine. It's good. Don't stop."

"I'm hurting you."

"No." She shook her head, hard, "No. It's wonderful. Please don't stop." To prove her point, she squeezed the length of him in her body.

Chris hissed. She was so tight.

He pulled out and slid back in, slowly. Sheva gasped as the pain blurred into pleasure again, sharp and fine.

"Yes. Yes. Faster."

He wasn't sure faster was a good idea but he also knew he couldn't stop now. Couldn't. She felt like sin.

He climbed up onto the bed, pulling her up until she was sitting in his lap and he was buried inside her body. This angle was sharper, her hands scrambled at his shoulders.

Gently, Chris laid her on her back and slid over her. Her legs wrapped around his hips. Better, she thought, not so sharp, not too much. Wonderful.

"Now?" He licked a tear from her cheek.

"Now." She gasped and he grabbed her wrists, smashed them over her head and started pounding into her.

There was no rhythm. No reason. It was fast and furious. His eyes devoured the look on her face, slid down over her bouncing breasts to watch himself smashing in and out of her body.

Their movement drove them across the bed until her hands could grab the steel bars of the head board and hold on for dear life. She arched, strong legs and thighs squeezing him and he took, arms braced on either side of her head as he plowed into her.

Her mouth turned, biting gently at his right bicep that was rigid and steely with bracing his weight. Chris licked the line of sweat from her collarbone.

He shoved into her like he'd come out the other side, driven forward by the mewling sounds ripped from her throat in ecstasy. Close, so close, he rose up over her to watch her face, to watch her breasts bounce prettily. He jerked her hips to a different angle, rode into her, watched the pleasure spear her features and knew he'd found that sweet spot inside of her.

He pushed over it, over it, over it dangerously close to losing his mind. And she came, clenching him, screaming, clawing the sheets on either side of her. Chris jerked free of her body and pulled her up against him, rubbing himself over the soft skin of her belly as spilled wet and hot against her.

For a long moment their panting was the only sound in the room. Finally, Chris released her letting her fall back against the mattress. He slid from the sweat soaked bed and picked up a crumpled shirt on the floor.

Sheva watched him through narrowed eyes as he wiped his seed from her belly. It was an oddly touching thing to do.

Naked, awesome, he turned to his nightstand and lit up a cigarette. He offered the pack to her.

Sheva shook her head. "Don't smoke."

Nodding, Chris paced beside the bed. He was like a caged predator, radiating energy.

Sheva tried not to feel like she was suddenly obsolete in the room. Where he was, he was a million miles away from her.

She sat up, pushing her sweaty hair from her eyes. "You okay?"

Chris tensed then turned to meet her eyes. "I think I owe you an apology."

Sheva lifted an eyebrow. "For what? Two orgasms?"

Chris shook his head a little. "Jill asked me to take her back tonight."

Sheva felt like he'd just dumped ice water on her. She rolled to the side of the bed and picked her dress up off the floor. "I see."

"Wait. Wait wait. Before you get the wrong idea."

Sheva shimmied into the dress. "And what's the wrong idea?"

"I didn't say yes. I didn't."

"Why not? She's your wife. You obviously still love her or you wouldn't be thinking of her after you finish fucking me."

Chris winced like she'd struck him. "It's not like that. I just want you to know what my life is like. She's in it Sheva."

"Oh trust me, she made that quite clear. But you needn't worry. I won't hold this against you. We had fun. But I get it. That's all it was."

"Damnit Sheva. I didn't say that either. What is it with you women and reading too much into what we're saying?"

Sheva faced him squarely. "Well what are you saying then?"

"I don't know. Fuck! I don't know."

Sheva rolled her eyes. "I won't be what stands between you and your family Chris. I couldn't live with myself if that were the case. She's your wife. I knew that coming into this."

Chris grabbed her arm as she spun away. "Wait damnit. Wait."

"Why? I didn't come here planning to be with you." Well maybe that wasn't entirely true. But things had definitely changed since then. "I came to help you. I won't complicate your life. I won't piss and whine and cry. What else do you want from me?"

He didn't know what he wanted. Shit. He just didn't know.

Sheva shook her head. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

He didn't stop her as she closed his door behind her. That alone spoke volumes about what had just occurred in that bedroom.

She was half way to her own room when she realized that he hadn't kissed her. Not once. Not the whole time.

And maybe that said more then anything else.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Sheva emerged that morning to the sound of voices in the kitchen. She slipped on a hooded gray sweatshirt over her sleeping shorts and slid her feet into her slippers.

Leon and Chris were both up and it was barely dawn.

Leon was wearing a t-shirt that was fire engine red over a pair of dark jeans. Chris wore gray, much like her, faded and so old it was unraveling at the right shoulder.

His hair was unkempt and sticking off his head in typical bed head fashion. Leon's hair was, gasp, perfect.

"Good morning." She greeted as she moved to get a cup off coffee.

"Mornin." Leon replied and was she wrong to think there was something distinctly cool in that tone? Then again he often sounded like that.

Chris said nothing…the bastard.

"What's on the agenda this morning?" She added cream and sugar to her cup and took it over to the bar to sit down and sip it delicately.

Leon put his hands in his back pockets and rocked on his heels. You could cut the tension in the kitchen with a spoon.

Seeing as he wasn't deaf or stupid he knew what'd happened last night. Even a pillow over his head hadn't drown out the sounds. He wasn't even sure how he felt about it.

He was jealous, that was easy enough to figure out. He wanted to simultaneously punch Chris Redfield in the face and feel sorry for himself. But under the jealousy was just a mess of confusion.

He'd be an idiot if he said he didn't know it was bound to happen. Sheva obviously had deep feelings for Chris and Chris was…well…a guy. And guys didn't turn down beautiful women trying to hump them. They just didn't.

You did, his mind taunted. Remember? Yeah he remembered. And he'd never hated himself more for it. Because now he'd gone from being chivalrous to retarded. And he was pretty sure he'd just lost the girl.

Nice guys finish last, Leon. Remember that.

"I gotta go pick up Eve today from school. Other then that, I don't have much going on." Chris took a drag off his cigarette. "Look you two, I'm fine. Really. Taking me to see Eve last night was the perfect remedy. I'm not going to fuck up again. I promise."

Sheva and Leon locked eyes. He made sure his were cool and flat. Hers were dark and tortured.

"No offense, hero, "Leon replied, "But I'm not buying it. I'm hanging around until Sherry's wedding anyway so you'll just have to put up with me."

Chris turned to Sheva. "And what about you? What's your reason for hanging around?"

Sheva met his eyes. "I told you. I'm here to help. When I'm sure you're better, I'll go."

Clearly he wanted her gone faster then that. Her pride stung and so did her heart. But she wasn't leaving so he'd just have to deal.

Chris shrugged. "Fine. Stay. Both of you. Use the hot tub out back, have a ball. I don't care."

He made his way into his bedroom leaving Sheva and Leon to an awkward silence.

"How'd you sleep?" Sheva asked trying to fill the silence.

"Fine. Comfortable mattress." Leon turned to refill his coffee mug.

"I should probably tell you what happened."

"No need. I heard."

Sheva's face flushed with embarrassment. "It…was an accident. Kinda. Or maybe he planned it, I don't know. But I didn't."

"Sheva, you don't have to explain."

Sheva twisted her hands together nervously. "I just don't want you to think…that I'm some kind of whore or something. That I just jump from bed to bed and back again. Chris and I just…it happened. And it's done now. And it won't happen again. He made that quite clear."

"Then he's a bigger idiot then I thought."

Sheva met his eyes in surprise.

"He's lying to himself and you. That's what he does. He's pushing you away again and you're letting him." Leon hated-HATED giving her advice about Chris. God why did he let himself get involved with her on this kind of level? He fucking knew better. Iceman. RIGHT. "If you want to be with him, don't let him push you away."

Leon set down his coffee mug. "I have to run by Claire's this morning and take her to her doctor's appointment. Kevin had to work so he asked me to do it."

"What does Kevin do?"

"He's the Sheriff." Leon moved to get his parka.

"Do you…do you want some company?"

Surprised, he looked over his shoulder at her. "I thought you'd want to stay here with Chris."

Sheva shook her head. "I meant what I said. It happened and it's over. And it won't happen again. I know things are…weird now. But I thought we were friends Leon. I don't want what happened with Chris to change that. And I won't stand between Chris and his family."

Ah, Leon thought, so he'd been right. Jill had laid down the gauntlet to Chris last night. No wonder he'd kicked Sheva out of bed. For all intents and purposes Chris Redfield was a good guy. If Sheva had been an easy lay who meant nothing, he could have fucked her, forgot her, and had no guilt about trying to work things out with his wife. But she meant something. And that meant she got pushed away.

Leon lifted a brow at her and then shrugged. "Sure. Come along. Women like that kind of thing right? Ultrasounds and such things. Girlie laughing and giggling."

Sheva was dead pan. "You are such a guy."

"I'll take that as a compliment I think."

They stepped out into the cold. It slapped Leon's face and knocked his hair around with icy fingers.

Sheva laughed at him as they climbed into a big black beast of a truck. Obviously this was his rental.

"What?" He started the engine with ease.

"Your hair…I thought it was always so perfect!"

Leon furrowed his brows and then glanced in the rear view mirror. Sure enough, his hair was a disaster. The wind had tossed it around until it looked like he'd stuck his finger in an electrical socket.

"Wonderful. And sexy." He grinned at Sheva. "Maybe it'll start a fad."

Sheva leaned over and ran her hands through it, snarling it around her fingers. A few moments of stroking his hair and it was nearly perfect again. Her fingers smoothed it one last time before they slid down his face, lingered for a handful of tense seconds, and retreated back to her lap. "There." She whispered. "Everything flat again."

"Not exactly." Leon said in response and moved his hand down to readjust his rather uncomfortable groin area. Interesting, he thought, that just the tips of her fingers on his cheeks would make him hard. Interesting.

Sheva's faced pinked in response.

Leon fired up the engine and the truck sounded like a mythological monster hungry for a meal.

"Lord…what is this thing?"

"A diesel. Need them out here in the rugged terrain."

Sheva nodded a little as Leon started down the long slope of the drive toward what clearly was a half assed plowed road. Montana, Sheva had begun to realize, was something like her personal version of hell. There wasn't a single thing in the picturesque landscape but snow and emptiness. What might have looked like a beautiful painting under other circumstances, right now resembled a barren wasteland of forgetting.

Part of her wished she could bury last night out in the snow and let it die. She was mired in misery.

She wasn't a fool. She knew that Chris had used her last night. She'd known it while it was occurring. He'd never once kissed her. Not a single time. In fact, he'd deflected her amorous advances with nearly perfect skill. And that alone said that Chris Redfield had had more then his share of one night stands with women.

And none of them were good enough to kiss. Well…save for his wife.

HIS WIFE. Christ. She was a whore. She was! There was no getting around it. A whore fucked a married man. A whore fucked a married man hours after being made love to by another.

In the passenger seat beside the other man in question, Sheva Alomar had a moment of realization. Her mind had referred to what had happened with Chris as fucking. But with Leon…god…with Leon it had been…it hadn't even been intercourse. Not in the literal fashion. In fact, some people would say they'd simply made out with extras. But it had felt more…intimate then anything she'd done with Chris.

There'd been some kind of connection she'd desperately wanted from Chris and found shockingly with another man. She didn't even really know Leon Kennedy. She hadn't survived nightmares with him. They hadn't helped or healed beside each other after fighting for their lives. But from the first moment they'd touched hands, there'd been that spark, that surge of something that she had no name for. It was some kind of chemical, physical, forged connection that scared her a little, interested her a lot, and may have driven her straight into the arms of another man.

She wasn't a fool. She knew she felt something just as confusing for Chris. But she'd always felt something confusing and infuriating for him. It had built and bred over time and contact.

With Leon…it was just there. Something about him made her want to do more then leap on his lap and ride him like the Kentucky Derby. She wanted to _know _him. To listen to his voice as he talked. To feel that quiver in her belly that came when he brushed against her accidentally. She liked being around him, genuinely, and was desperately afraid that her night with Chris had thrown a wrench into whatever had been trying to grow between them.

Hell, she'd barely just met him. But something about him made her want him in her life. In whatever fashion he'd have her.

She turned her head to study him.

He glanced over, his eyes carefully hidden behind flattering (likely expensive) dark sunglasses. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"When you were in Raccoon City…did you and Claire ever…"

Leon gave her a half smile. And his face was so perfectly handsome in the wash of early morning light that it hurt her chest a little. "No. We were both young, scared shitless, and desperate for friendship. We bonded. But it wasn't ever like that. I asked her out once, after it was all over, and she laughed at me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't mean. It was that she had me pegged as her brother. And she knew that I was really only asking because of A-" He stopped, quirked his mouth, and went quiet.

"Because of…?"

She could see the indecision on his face as he turned onto the main road to Claire's house. Whatever or whoever he was thinking of he didn't seem to want to share.

"I'm sorry." She said again, "I shouldn't pry."

"No. No it's alright. It's just…" Leon sighed a little. "Her name was Ada Wong. I'm sure you've read her file."

Sheva's eyebrows lifted. "We've all read it. She's supposedly Albert Wesker's right hand."

"Yeah. Yeah she is." Leon glanced over to judge Sheva's reaction. "She was also my first lover."

"Oh." Sheva was surprised. That hadn't been what she'd expected at all. "Oh."

Leon laughed a little. "Yeah. Oh about covers it. We we're together the first time in Raccoon City. She's…well…she's something else entirely. She used me then. I'm pretty sure she slept with me to confuse me and take me off her trail. I was young and eager and she was older then me and sexy as hell."

Leon shrugged. "I don't regret it. I did for awhile but looking back on it, I'm glad she was the first. She taught me things." And now his smile was wistful with memory. "When I found out she was…well…a bad guy, for lack of a better term, I felt guilty and dirty. Even though I didn't know any better. But…it didn't stop me from sleeping with her again years later when she popped back up in my life."

Sheva looked like he'd pulled out a fish and slapped her in the face with it. Actually, had he done something so off the wall and out of the blue she might even had looked less surprised then she did at that moment.

"I know." Leon said when she stared at him. "I know. Then I knew who she was. What she was. I knew she was bad. But I wanted her. And she wanted me. And so it just happened."

He pulled up to Claire's house and killed the engine on the truck. "So I know what its like when something just happens, Sheva. I get it. Like I said before…feelings get all kinds of fucked up when you go through shit together. You don't always make the right choices. And we can't always control who we fall into bed with. I don't think you're a whore."

Sheva felt strangely like she might cry. He simply was too good of a man.

"And you shouldn't think you are either. You're human. You can't always help what you feel or what you do about it. You can only hope to learn from your mistakes and figure out how to handle it better next time around."

He started to climb out of the truck and Sheva grabbed his wrist, drawing his eyes to her face. "Do you love her?"

Leon held her gaze for a handful of tense moments. He'd never spoken of Ada to anyone but Claire before. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to be so honest with the girl across from him. He only knew something in his gut told him he could be.

"I did. For a long time. But she didn't love me. Eventually, you stop loving someone who doesn't love you back."

Sheva thought just maybe he was speaking about her at the same time he spoke of himself. She released his wrist slowly. "She was a fool."

Leon smiled a little. "Maybe Ada and Chris can get together and go bowling."

Did she love Chris? Yes. Yes she did. Was she IN LOVE with Chris? She didn't know. Maybe. But wouldn't she know for certain if she was?

She loved Chris because he was funny and he was brave and he was…MARRIED. He was married. And she wasn't sure what part of her loved him for him or for what she wanted him to be. She'd seen sides of him she didn't like in the last few days. He could be cruel and belligerent and rude. And that was okay, he was hurting. He was allowed to be those things. But he was also cruel in a way that had no excuses. He'd taken her to bed knowing she felt more for him then just lust. He'd taken her to bed simply to use her and then cast her aside. It meant he was kind of an asshole and that part of him she didn't even respect.

Leon hadn't used her. Not once. Well he'd kind of used her to scare off Ashley Graham but she'd pursued him afterward. A harmless kiss was nothing next to what she'd pushed into happening. Maybe she'd used him instead. Had she? Had she used him?

He opened the truck door and she met his eyes.

No. She hadn't used him. She'd wanted him. She wanted him now as he helped her down from the truck and steadied her with a hand on her elbow. She wanted him because he was kind, he was giving and generous and sexy. She wanted him because he was willing to step aside while she figured out what her feelings were. She wanted him because he made her blood boil.

She wanted two men, for entirely different reasons. And she wasn't sure what the hell any of it meant or who she was meant to be with. She wasn't sure if she should attempt to be with either of them or run away screaming from both.

She wanted Leon. She wanted Chris. And she wanted somebody to tell her what the hell to do about it.

Unfortunately no one was going to give her an answer. And she wasn't sure how to go about finding one for herself.

She slipped a little in the snow and Leon caught her before she faced planted, pulling her a little against him to keep her steady.

Sheva turned in against his body, wrapping her fingers in the thick material of his jacket. She wanted to see his eyes but they were carefully masked behind his sunglasses.

She wanted to kiss him. But something on his face stopped her.

"I didn't use you." She whispered it as if he'd asked her to explain. "I didn't use you, Leon."

His face was carefully blank. "I know that. I didn't think you did."

"How could you not? With what happened? I drug you out into that barn and then I go home and sleep with Chris. How can you not hate me?"

It was a good question. Maybe he should hate her. Maybe he should pull himself away from her and out of her life and be gone. But he couldn't. And he didn't want to. He'd meant what he'd said to her. He understood what she was feeling for Chris.

And he was pretty sure neither of them understood what they were feeling for each other.

He was attracted to her. He liked her as a person. But it was something more then that. He wanted to listen to her voice and share things with her that he'd never shared with anyone. For the first time in a long time, he hadn't thought of Ada. He'd loved Ada, thought he still loved her, but if that were true why hadn't he thought of her until Sheva had asked him about Raccoon City? He hadn't thought of Ada once since he'd met this woman in front of him.

Leon stepped away from her. "I don't hate you. I meant what I said before…I want to be your friend, Sheva. Whatever that means. Neither of us came here for anything but helping Chris. Let's do that. Then we'll know where we stand."

The front door opened and Claire was there, cast in the light of the door way.

Leon gave her a rousing smile. "Hey, fatty, you ready to go?"

Claire was pale and sweaty. Leon's smile faded immediately. "Claire..honey..you okay?"

"Well…"Claire waddled down the porch toward him and Leon rushed to grab her when she stumbled. "…I'm fine, I guess. I'm also in labor."

'


	4. Chapter 4

_So the last chapter took me forever to finish. _

_Unfortunately I've been working like a mad man lately so my posting times will stink for awhile. My greatest apologies._

_Wow lots of mixed reviews on the chapter previous. Interesting to find a lot of you both pissed and eager at the same time, it sort of mirrors my own feelings on this story. Again, I can only apologize and remind those of you who read this that pure romance and human emotion are generally not my strong suit when it comes to writing. Sheva's character develops as the words get written, I don't plan anything it just happens. I am, of course, greatly saddened to have turned some of you off on this story. I'll understand if you decide to vacate this tale in lieu of others for the time being._

_I'll be honest and say that I hate Chris in this story. I hate him. He's a douche bag piece of shit bastard who I still somehow feel sorry for. He's a conflicted, self motivated asshole with no real agenda or redeeming qualities save that he loves his daughter. Why anyone, anywhere would want to be with him is a mystery. _

_The plot thickens and things get weirder. The sex stalls for awhile here. I think Sheva (in my head) is at a crossroads with herself. We'll have to see how it plays out.. _

_This chapter will delve farther into the emotion between Sheva and Leon. Also we'll touch upon Sherry's wedding. I haven't decided who she's marrying yet. I'm thinking it has to be somebody unexpected. Any suggestions, drop me a line! _

_Again, thanks for all your reviews. Don't think you have to leave just praise for me, really I appreciate the constructive criticism as well. It really makes me rethink things. Until later…ONWARD._

**III. Creation**

"_**From small beginnings come great things." –Proverb**_

Desmond Redfield Ryman was born at three in the afternoon on a cold, cloudy, snowy Wednesday morning. He was six pounds, six ounces with a head of fiery red hair and big blue eyes. He was also appropriately named "Big Red" within minutes of his birth as he came into the world wailing, red, and ugly.

An hour after he was born, Big Red looked more content and adorable wrapped in his mothers arms in her private birthing room. He had a blue sock hat on his head and was currently snoozing happily against his mother's breast.

Leon studied the tiny bundled curiously. "It's amazing that that thing came out of you."

Claire chuckled. "I know. It's odd. I haven't adjusted to the empty belly yet. I feel so flat and jiggly."

Kevin was gently rubbing her feet at the foot of the bed. "Is it like taking a huge dump, hon? You feel tired but awesome afterward?"

Claire made a face at him. "Way to ruin childbirth, darling."

"I'm gifted." Kevin kissed her toes with a grin.

Claire offered the infant to Leon. "You want to hold him?"

Did he? He wasn't sure. Part of him wanted to see what it was like, he'd never held one before. The other part of him was terrified.

Never one to run from a challenge, Leon took the baby. Red wiggled a little and eyed him with one slitted blue eye before settling back into sleep as Leon awkwardly adjusted him against his chest.

"He doesn't weigh anything." Leon stated curiously and then, because Claire and Kevin were talking and he was sure no one was looking, he leaned down to sniff the tiny thing in his arms and kissed its teeny mouth.

Sheva was watching. And a very female part of her constricted at the act. He looked good holding the baby. It fit him.

She moved over to gaze down at the bundle. Red was cute. He had his mouths skin tone, pretty and peach, and a wrinkled little face like a little old man. Sheva touched one tiny hand and smiled when the little fingers curled around hers reflexively.

"He's adorable." She commented and Claire smiled tiredly.

"Yeah I think I'll keep him."

Leon handed the baby back gently. "Good work there, Claire. Kevin, you are the luckiest man alive."

"I know it."

"Lucky the baby looks like his Momma." Leon grinned when Kevin gave him the finger.

Leon moved toward the door. "Sheva and I will go down to the café and get some coffee and leave you two to your married people stuff."

"We're gonna make out." Kevin declared causing Leon to cringe.

Claire made a pfft sound. "I'm taking a nap. So I don't know who he thinks he's making out with."

Chuckling, Leon shut the door to the room after Sheva passed him into the hallway.

"I'm glad you were with me." Leon told her as they started down the hallway. "I totally blanked when she said she was in labor."

He had. Adorably. Sheva had stepped right in to help Claire with her labor. They'd barely gotten to the hospital in time but Sheva had been a life saver. She'd found the birthing bag Claire had packed, called Kevin, informed the hospital they were on their way.

Leon had come through like a champ after the initial shock. He'd called Chris and Jill, carried Claire to his truck and loaded her up, and even stood in the room to coach her before her husband had arrived to take over. And like a real trooper, he hadn't even flinched when the contractions had caused Claire to call him a hundred different filthy names.

The Iceman had been a labor coach. He'd stood beside his huffing friend, held her hand, told her to focus and breathe. Sheva had seen a side of him that likely no one on earth had ever seen before.

In the hospital café, Leon handed her a cup of steaming coffee which she gratefully sipped.

Her eyebrows rose as she realized it was also prepared perfectly, exactly how she would have done for herself.

Leon smirked a little as they moved to a table to sit down across from each other. "I'm observant. I see things, I remember them. I figured you'd read that in my file."

Sheva smiled a little. "Your file doesn't say much about you. It reads like stereo instructions. Not a whole lot to go on."

Leon leaned back in his chair, for all the world like a comfortable patron but Sheva saw something else in the line of his body. She saw that he was aware of every person in the café. He was like a waiting lion, poised and ready to pounce at the first sign of danger.

It was training that put that caged predator look in a man's eyes. Training and horror and they'd both seen their share of all of it.

"Ada Wong's file reads like a Tom Clancy novel."

Leon pulled his sunglasses off his head where they were perched and set them on the table. "It does. It has her listed as little more then a sociopath, a merc whos services are for sale to the highest bidder. But she's not all business."

"I guess you would know."

Intrigued, Leon met Sheva's eyes. He wasn't a fool. There was a touch of something cool and disapproving in her voice. The agent in him wanted to call it reproach, the man in him said it was jealousy. He was inclined to like the jealousy a lot.

"Ada used me in Raccoon City but she wasn't a fool. I was wet behind the ears, a kid, a rookie. She could have played a lot of angles with me. She's good at what she does but she's not a whore. She didn't have to sleep with me to gain my trust."

Sheva studied him. "So why sleep with you?"

"I think she genuinely liked me." Leon crossed an ankle over his knee. "I don't think she liked it much but she felt something for me. On the mission to rescue Ashley, she put herself in harms way to help me. And when it was over, she didn't have to crawl into bed with me again but she did."

"Well you didn't say no."

Yeah, Leon thought, definitely jealousy. "No I didn't. I loved her. Hard to say no to someone you love."

And there, Sheva conceded, was his own condemnation of her actions. He was saying quite clearly that she was in the same boat as him. And he was right.

"So why not continue to see her?"

Leon sighed, studying a woman and her child who were eating pancakes two tables down from them. The child was making faces to make the woman laugh.

"Ada's not into long term. She never promised me anything. She never said it was anything more then it was. The first time, in Raccoon City, I thought we had something. The second time, I knew we didn't. But it didn't stop me from wanting her." Leon met Sheva's eyes. "Ada cared about me at the same time she used me. I was okay with it once I sat down to think about it. I wasn't young the second time around, I was an adult who knew not everything was as cut and dried as story books made it seem."

Thinking about it logically, did he really owe her an explanation? No. But something in him WANTED to tell her these things. He wanted her to understand that he didn't blame her for what happened with Chris because he knew what it was like. Of course it didn't make him the tiniest bit less jealous. And seemingly his explanation wasn't making her any less jealous either.

"So if she showed up, right now, and wanted to be with you…what would you say?"

That was a loaded question. He knew he should halt this conversation right now. They'd known each other…what…a few days? He didn't owe her anything. The iceman part of him wanted to tell her to mind her own damn business. The part of him that was drawn to her, that liked her, wanted her to respect him.

So, Leon Kennedy, the ghost, the spook, the man built and bred for withstanding torture and interrogation, answered one of the most personal questions anyone had ever asked him. And he did it honestly.

"I wouldn't be with her." Sheva looked surprised. "I loved Ada. I maybe still love her in that part of me that is young and drawn to her beauty, her passion, her strength but whatever good there is in her. The bad is more. She's a merc. She'll go where the money is. And at the end of the day her only real loyalty is to herself. I don't think her loving me would make one damn bit of difference in any decision she'd make. She'd still put a bullet in my head to save herself. I can't be with someone like that. Not really. Not long term. And I'm getting too damn old to play games."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know who I am. I know what I want. And what I want from the person I decide to be with forever. And loyalty to each other, respect, honesty…those things I won't compromise on. If I can't trust you, I can't be with you. End of story."

Jesus she liked this man. More then that, she ENVIED him. He knew who he was down to the very core of his being. He was sure, steadfast, honest and strong. He had the courage of his convictions and a knowledge of what he wanted that made her want to weep with longing. She didn't have a flipping clue what she wanted.

Although that wasn't entirely true. More and more she knew she wanted Leon Kennedy. And she was desperately, sincerely, utterly afraid she'd blown any chance of that.

They parted ways after their coffee, the two of them separating to allow Leon to return to Claire's side as friends and well wishers began to arrive at the hospital. Jill found Sheva waiting in the hallway as some of Claire's work friends were in the room with the new mother seeing the new baby.

Jill approached her carefully.

"Hi."

Sheva smiled, gently. "Hi."

"I want to apologize to you, Sheva, for last night."

Jesus, Sheva thought desperately, DON'T. I'm the whore who slept with your husband. Don't apologize to me. I don't deserve it.

"Chris and I have been separated for a long time," Jill explained awkwardly. "We separated for the right reasons. Things between us…they were tough for awhile. But after Africa, I thought we'd…maybe find our way back to each other. He came all that way for me, ya know?"

"Yes." Sheva said quietly.

"And then…well I see how he looks at you. I'm not a fool. I know there's something there."

"Jill…you don't have to-"

"No, listen, please." Jill shifted in the long green hallway. It was a standard hospital hallway, done in greens and blues for comfort to the eyes. Pictures of baby feet lined the walls up and down the hallway scattered in between bouncing balloons and ribbons on doorways signaling the births of new life. Jill was a bright spot of color in the sedate surroundings, wearing a hot pink sweater over black slacks. The color suited her pale skin perfectly. "Whatevers happened between you, whatever is happening…I don't have any right to ask you to not pursue it. I don't know you. And Chris and I aren't really together anymore. I'm sure you're a nice person who would be good to him. So I shouldn't ask…but I am. I'm asking you not to pursue him. I'm not even saying you are. But I think he might. So…shit…I don't know what I'm saying."

Sheva touched Jill's arm gently. "It's okay. I understand. And I can tell you truthfully that I'm not trying to be with him. I…I might have wanted to. I might have thought about it. But being here, seeing him with Eve, with you, knowing how hurt and confused he is…" Knowing that I already fucked up, Sheva added painfully in her head. "I'm not going to come between that. I can't. I won't. So please…don't worry. I can't blame you for being a bitch. I deserved it." I still do.

Jill smiled a little. "No you didn't. But I can promise you I won't be anymore. You saved his life in Africa, he's alive because of you. Hard to hate someone who not only helped save you but also kept alive the man you love."

Jesus, Sheva thought, this had to be the worst conversation she'd ever had. More and more she felt like a home wrecker. Should she confess? Who would benefit from that? Her? Certainly not Jill. Not even Chris. It would likely ruin their chances of getting back together. And Chris was a mess already. Having his wife kick him to the curb permanently wasn't the way to help him.

What had Leon's advice been? Learn from your mistakes? She was going to try very hard to do that.

Jill sighed. "Time to go see that baby, I guess."

Sheva affected a big smile. "He's adorable."

"I'm sure." Jill moved into the room to see her new nephew leaving Sheva in the hallway to feel like the whore of Babylon.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Chris Redfield was coming down the hallway toward her with his daughter in tow. RUN! Her mind bellowed but she held her ground. She had to make things right between them. She was here to help him nut run away from him like he had the bubonic plague.

She'd fucked up so far since she'd gotten here but she was going to do the best she could to set things right. Starting with atoning for her actions with Chris and then doing everything she could to see him reunited with his wife and daughter. It was the only way she knew to make things right.

Eve waved at her before entering the room to see her new cousin. Chris lingered, informing his daughter he'd be right behind her.

When the door closed, he approached Sheva cautiously.

"Sheva…listen…about last night-"

"It's okay. It's done. It happened. It's over. I didn't say anything to Jill." Sheva turned to start down the hallway. "Go see your nephew. Don't think about it anymore."

Chris looked stuck somewhere between confusion, relief, and insult. "I was going to tell Jill."

Alarmed, Sheva stopped at the elevator and turned to face him. "Are you crazy?"

Chris's brows went up into his hair. "Apparently. I thought that's what you wanted."

"No!" Sheva hissed between her teeth and then glanced up and down the hallway to make sure no one was around to hear them. "No I don't. We made a mistake. A bad one. Your WIFE just asked me not to try for anything with you. She wants you back. I'm not going to fuck that up any more then I already have."

Chris followed her onto the elevator and the doors pinged shut, sealing them in.

"I don't know if I want her back."

Sheva met his eyes with exasperation. "You chased her ghost for a year, Chris. You never gave up hope she was alive. What's changed? Was it last night? Because last night was a mistake. A bad call. If anything, it was a relief from the tension between us. We were attracted. We acted on it. It was wrong and stupid and we can't take it back. But we can sure as hell learn from it."

Chris narrowed his eyes as she escaped from the elevator and started toward the lobby doors on the main floor of the hospital. They exited out of the hospital into the cold. The doors swished open revealing a massive parking lot covered in snow turned dirty from wheels and cars and traffic. Nurses and doctors in multicolored scrubs came and went with other patrons of the hospital, pushing wheel chairs and carrying giftbags.

"What's changed?" Chris asked gruffly as he gripped her arm to stop her from crossing the parking lot to escape him. "From last night to now, what's changed? You wanted more from me last night. You were pissed when I couldn't give you a straight answer. Why the change of heart?"

Sheva tried to shake off his hand but he wouldn't let go. "I like your wife. I like your daughter. I'm not a home wrecker. I think last night you slept with me because you wanted to feel something besides the pain you've been dwelling on since Africa. I think any woman in your bed would have been good enough. Do I think you like me? Sure. We were partners. We clicked. I like you too. I'm obviously attracted to you. But I'm not a fool. We aren't meant to be anything more then friends. We can't be. I meant what I said last night, I won't be what stands between you and your family. I won't allow you to shit on ten years of marriage, a daughter, a life for me. I won't."

"You seemed okay with it when I was inside you last night. I didn't hear you crying out in sympathy for my wife then."

And there, she thought, there was another reason she wouldn't be with him. That cruel streak. She hated that about him. Hated it. And part of her was starting to hate him as well.

Sheva jerked hard on her arm but he still didn't let go.

"Listen, I came here to help you. I messed up sleeping with you. I let myself believe we had something. Turns out it was just confusion over our time in Africa. You're not the man now you were then. And maybe it's the PTSD. I don't know. But there's something in you that's more then broken. It's ugly. You can't stand there and tell me you'd throw away your marriage for me. I'm not that good a lay. And if you want to throw away your marriage, don't pretend its for me. Do it because you don't love your wife anymore." Sheva tried once more to free her arm but Chris simply grabbed her other one to hold her still. There was such rage on his face, such utter and complete rage. And beneath the rage was a pain so deep, so wide, so bottomless it scared her to death.

"You bitch," He hissed darkly and it made her belly cramp with something close to fear, "You fucking bitch. Do you think any of this is easy for me? Do you think I went to bed with you without considering everything-EVERYTHING in my life? Every fucking day I wake up and part of me feels like its dying. I've got this bleeding, bottomless hole in me that is like an ulcer with teeth that's trying to eat my soul. I don't know how to make it stop. I survived Raccoon City, I survived Rockfort Island, I've survived things that would make your eyes bleed if you saw it. And I've never hurt like this. I thought sleeping with you, bringing something new into my life would help. But it turns out it just makes it worse. Because I love my wife. And for the first time in my life, I'm not sure that I want to be with her. And that…that's YOUR fault."

God! She was simultaneously heart broken for him and afraid of him. She wanted to help him. She just didn't know how. She wanted to take back last night. She wanted to take back all of it…wait…not all of it. Not Leon. She'd never take that back.

And that was the moment she knew she was falling in love with Leon Kennedy.

Something on her face wasn't what Chris wanted to see because he shook her roughly, causing her teeth to clack together.

"You don't care! Do you? You don't care about what you've done to me."

Jesus he was so broken. So broken. How did she help him? How could she have come into his life this way and made it so much worse for him? How could she fix it?

"Chris," She whispered it, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Don't you understand? I didn't know. I didn't. And you..we…what happened…it wasn't meant to hurt you. Or hurt me. Or hurt anyone. I'd take it back if I could. I would. I'd take it back and take Africa back and take it all back. But I can't. I can't Chris. I can't. I don't know how to help you."

Chris shook her again. "You want to help me? Give me my life back. Give me MYSELF back. And get out of my head so I can figure it the fuck out."

"If I could, I would." Sheva gasped as he shook her again, hard enough she knew her arms would be bruised. "If I knew how, I would. You have to believe me."

"You bitch," Chris hissed again, "You bitch. I don't want to feel anything for you. I don't want to know that I'm hurting you. Hurting Jill by thinking about you. Hurting myself because I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling. I'm tired of all of it."

"Then let me go," Sheva pleaded as he shook her again, "Let me go. Let it all go."

"Tell me how!" Chris nearly shouted in her face. "Tell me how to let it go!"

"You can start by taking your fucking hands off her."

The voice was loud in the silence of the night around them. They were surrounded by the empty carcasses of forlorn and snow covered cars. The lights over head were muted and lost to the darkness that encased the world in a blanket of sadness and shadow. Snow had begun to fall, thick and wet, mixing with the tears on Sheva's face as she stared into the well of Chris Redfield's grief and died inside for him.

Leon stood there, shrouded in shadow and dull yellow from the street light high above them. Beyond him the hospital stood like a beacon, blinking lights and windows lit with the lives and emotion of those dwelling beyond them. Inside the goliath of steel and stone, people went about their days with a single minded determination to procure happiness and hope in the cycle of life that began with a baby and ended with a corpse. Here, in the darkness of the parking lot, life was stalled; standing on an inevitable precipice of pregnant chance.

So many things were about to change for the three people so tightly wound in confusion and happen stance. So many things that affected so many more people and most of them were gathered in a joyful moment inside the hospital that was so close in body and so far away in soul.

Chris released her, turning to face the other man.

Sheva moved, lifting a hand to hold off either of them. And she knew the fact that she stood between them now wasn't lost on any of them.

"Leon, everything is fine here. Chris is suffering. I'm trying to help him."

Leon laughed and it was as cold, as dark, as the night around them. "Yeah. Yeah he's suffering. And because he can't process his own emotions he's taking it out on you. He's making you his scape goat. And I don't care how deep, how wide, how hopeless his pain is…he doesn't get to lay a hand on you like that. Not now. Not ever again."

Chris took a step toward him. "I owe you the ass kicking of a life time, Kennedy. You come to collect?"

Sheva could feel their boiling energies like twin pits of hell. Chris was burning her up on one side with his rage. It was a scalding, scathing, skin peeling blaze of heat that should have set her hair on fire. Leon was like an arctic blast on her other side, cold and calm and cool as the grave and twice as scary.

"I'm not going to fight you, Redfield. Not here. Not now. But if you ever touch her again like that, I'm going to forget that your sister is my best friend. I'm going to forget that you're hurting and temporarily retarded with pain. And I'm simply going to shove your head so far up your stupid ass that every time you open your mouth to breathe, you're going to inhale your own shit."

Nicely graphic, Sheva thought blankly, and disgusting.

"Oh yeah?" Chris taunted, "And on that day, I'll get up out of my wheelchair and do a dance."

Sheva couldn't help it, she couldn't. She laughed.

The tension broke like someone had tossed a whoopee cushion into the middle of them and stepped on it.

She shook her head in the darkness. "As much as I'm enjoying this display of testosterone, I'm going to leave you guys here to do whatever you feel necessary to prove who has the bigger dick." She started back toward the hospital. "At least you're at the hospital if one of you breaks a bone."

In the cold night air, breath fanned out like fog. Chris shifted, feeling his skin pop in goose bumps from the brush of inert wind. Leon, damn his eyes, looked unruffled in the freezing chill.

"It's not her fault," The rookie said quietly when Sheva disappeared from their view, "You can't blame her because you're fucked up."

Chris shrugged a little but he made no move to head back inside.

"She would have loved you, you know. If you'd shown any sign of wanting that. That girl would have loved you."

Chris turned, met his eyes, and though they were arctic blue, in the dark they looked black. There was no sympathy on Leon Kennedy's face. There was no understanding or empathy or pity. In a way, it was refreshing. Chris had spent months being looked at like he was one step away from slitting his wrists.

Leon rocked on his heels with his hands in his pockets. "They'll tell you things will get easier. That you'll start to come back from the edge. They'll say the brink of madness is farther away with each day that passes."

Chris held that dark, intent gaze.

"They lie." Leon finished quietly. "It doesn't get easier. But it gets better. Because you only have two choices: give up or get the fuck over it."

"You say that like its easy."

"It's not easy. But it's simple. I didn't have a daughter or a wife or a woman who was willing to fly half way around the world to help me. You do. Get the fuck over it for them. Because they deserve it."

Chris stared off into the night for a long moment before he answered. "How? How do I get over it? How do I forget?"

"You never forget."

Chris turned on him like an angry whirlwind. "Then how? Huh? How do you get over it? Come on, Buddha, impart some of that great wisdom to me. Tell me how to enlighten myself."

"I don't have the answer."

"Then what fucking good are you?" Chris advanced, Leon didn't retreat. They were toe to toe in the darkness now and though Leon wasn't short, he wasn't as tall, as big, or as frightening a presence as the other man. He also wasn't the least bit afraid. "You show up, play god, make a fucking move on a woman you know means something to me, and leave me with nothing. What good are you?"

Interesting, Leon thought, that even in the midst of his madness, Chris was aware he'd made a move on Sheva. At the end of the day, it meant the observant Chris Redfield was still somewhere in the shell of a man he'd become.

"I didn't make a move on Sheva," Leon said quietly, "She made a move on me."

The hit was solid, hard, right in the face and like a freight train from hell. Leon took it, feeling his already sore mouth burst with blood as his teeth threatened to break from the force of it. It was a good hit and would have broken his jaw if he hadn't stepped back enough to reduce the brunt of it.

As it was, the hit spun him sideways, had his hand coming up to clap over his mouth as he hunched, spitting blood into the dirty snow.

"Feel better?" He queried, feeling Chris's presence towering above his hunched form like the wrath of god. "Does it help to hit me?"

"Yeah. Yeah it helps. Say it again, douchebag. Say it again."

"I didn't come on to her."

"Liar." Chris kicked him in the stomach so hard Leon nearly threw up from the pain of it. He hit his hands and knees on the ground, gasping for air as pain radiated up his ribs. He coughed repeatedly hoping Chris hadn't ruptured something from the force of it.

Jesus the man was strong. Leon figured he was getting half watt Chris Redfield strength at best. If this was half watt, he was afraid to think about how hard full force was.

"Come on, Kennedy, get up and fight. Show me some of that legendary skill I hear so much about. Do a fancy flip kick on me or a powerhouse back kick."

"No." Leon pushed himself to his knees. "Not gonna fight you. No reason to. I'm not mad at you, Chris. And I didn't steal your woman."

"Bullshit! You show up and less then six hours later she's running into the barn with you like some well paid whore. You're not that fucking charming, Kennedy. Which means you manipulated her. How'd you do it? What'd you do?"

Leon Kennedy was called the Iceman. He was cold, calculating, a perfectly engineered machine. He was also a man. And no man wants to have his manhood questioned. Ever. So he reacted like a man even though he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"I tongue fucked her until she begged me to stop."

He didn't take the hit this time, he deflected it. As the fist came down, Leon's arm came up, sweeping it to the side. His body came up at the same time, shoulder catching Chris in that massive middle. Leon shoved him back in a classic football tackle and finished rising to his feet.

"I'm gonna kill you, you flat ass preppy wimp."

"Go ahead. It won't take your pain away. It won't make Sheva want you anymore. And it won't bring back the dead." Leon shifted and they circled each other like caged animals. "I won't let you whip my ass. I don't want to fight you, Chris. But I'm sure as hell not gonna let you beat me bloody."

"You keep your hands off her. You understand? Or I'll use every one of your fingers on you in the world's worst prostate exam."

"Nice threat, hero. Let's hope your fist fighting skills aren't as bad as your dialogue."

Leon was sort of surprised at himself. He wasn't given to taunting people but the idea of being told to never touch Sheva again…it lit a fire in his belly he hadn't felt in a long time. And he couldn't seem to look at the other man without thinking about him touching her, loving her, kissing her and it made him nearly white hot with rage.

They rushed each other at the same time.

Chris swung in a beautiful hook narrowly missing Leon's face as he ducked, delivering an uppercut at the same time that landed in the other man's solar plexus. Chris grunted but didn't go down and Leon admitted it was like striking steel.

Chris caught Leon's fist and jerked him forward so he stumbled. He aimed a downward kick at Leon's knee cap as he stumbled, trying to dislocate it. Leon twisted and the kick slid down his shin, bruising but not breaking anything.

Leon spun back throwing an elbow over his shoulder to connect with Chris's chin. Chris released him, stumbling back from the pain.

"You want to play dirty?" Leon queried, steadying himself as the other man did the same. "I can do that."

They grappled for several minutes. One ducked, one parried, they exchanged blows to the chest and stomach. Chris put him in a head lock, Leon countered with a barely missed knee to the groin. Leon got Chris in an elbow lock between his shoulder blades, Chris escaped by hooking his ankle around Leon's and spilling them both to the ground with a following fist to the face.

Chris was a brawler, built for strength and endurance but he wasn't fast. He couldn't be, given his size. Leon was agile, slim and made for speed. If Chris got him down and incapacitated, it was over. His only chance was to out maneuver him.

Chris bum rushed him.

Leon waited, timed it, and dropped at the last second. He went onto his back, lifted his feet up, planted them in Chris's stomach and pushed.

The speed, the force of it and Chris's own momentum served to toss him up and into the air. The other man was airborne for a handful of seconds before he came down.

But he also had enough training to fall into a nice roll as he did, skidding for a moment before he came to his feet again.

So Chris was big, built for strength, but still agile. Apparently his training was still there under his grief.

Leon didn't wait for him to find his balance, he rushed the other man. He spun back and Chris caught his leg before the back kick could connect, spinning him away and delivering a kick to the ass that was more insult then injury.

Leon countered, dropping into a low sweep kick that swept the other man's legs out from under him. Chris hit his back, rolling to the side before Leon could succeed in stomping his chest. Leon's boot hit the snow inches from where Chris had been moments before.

Chris caught Leon's foot, twisted his ankle painfully and jerked. Leon collapsed to his hands and one knee in the dirty snow. His ankle screamed with the pain of it and Chris knew just how to hold it to make it excruciating but not breaking.

"Uncle?" Chris queried, applying more pressure to that ankle.

In answer, Leon pushed off the ground with his hands, twisting his free leg up as he propelled off the ground. Chris had both hands on his other foot and couldn't stop the boot that flew at his face as Leon's body twisted like a pretzel.

The boot caught his face, the twisting of Leon's bulk threw him sideways and Chris let go as he hit the ground on his side, his jaw throbbing.

The rookie was good, he'd give him that. Chris rolled onto his back.

Leon stuck his boot on Chris's chest to hold him down. "Uncle?"

Chris grabbed his ankle and pulled it hard up and out. Leon tried to hold his balance but couldn't and Chris kicked his other leg out from under him.

They were suddenly both on their backs, feet to feet, in the dirty snow.

"Uncle," Chris said finally into the silence split only by their heavy breathing, "Uncle…you fucker."

"Right back at ya."

"You fight like a girl."

"Really?" Leon answered weakly, "I heard you fuck like one."

"Touche', asshole."

Leon and Chris both got to their feet carefully and did what men do when they've brawled, battled, beat each other bloody and walked away: they shook hands.

"Sheva is not your woman," Leon stated as they released their hand shake, "Your woman is inside right now looking at your brand new nephew. She loves you, she wants you back, and you went halfway around the world for her. You went through all of this, for her. Can you honestly tell me one night with another woman changes that?"

Chris shifted as they started toward the hospital doors. "I don't know. Sheva deserves better then that. Jill does too. But I can't just take my wife back because its the right thing to do."

"You're right. You have to love her to do that. Do you love her?"

At that moment, Jill emerged from the hospital room they were approaching. She carried the baby in her arms. There was a softness, a sweetness, a lightness to her face Chris hadn't seen since she'd come back from Africa.

He'd been so wrapped up in himself, he'd never once asked her what she'd seen, what'd she'd done under Wesker's control. He'd never once considered her at all. And it hurt him to know how badly he'd shut her out in her greatest hours of need.

That she still loved him at all was a mystery.

No…it was a miracle. And he didn't deserve any of it.

"Yeah," He said quietly, "I love her."

Leon laid a hand on his shoulder. "Then make it right."

Jill's smiling face lifted from the baby…and abruptly changed to shock. "What the hell happened to you two!?"

Leon passed her, headed toward the bathroom. He heard Chris answer, "We had…a talk. It's all good now."

And it would be, as soon as Chris forgave himself enough to make it that way.

The good news one: tonight he'd connected with his own pain, he'd cleared his path, now he just had to find the strength to walk it.

And Leon figured it was about time he started walking his own.

'


	5. Chapter 5

_Five comes alive here. _

_I mislabled IV I apologize. I could go repost it but I'm too tired so I'll just make my mea culpas here. _

_A short note to my reviewers who are or might be a little insulted or such by my description of Chris's PTSD, I realize it's a very real, very painful thing for people to experience. I don't mean to make light of it here or pretend to know how it feels to experience it. I can only say that this story is fiction and not meant to do anything but entertain. _

_Also a note about the fight in the previous chapter: if it was staccato or too short or too basic, I can only say again this story isn't meant to be action. I wanted the fight to be what it was: two guys beating each other up over a girl. It came out as such. I just hope everyone enjoyed it. _

_The story finds its end here. I never intended for it to be a long one. After this I think I'll see what else is brewing in my brain. Let's see where it takes us, shall we?_

_As always, thanks to those who keep on reading!! I wouldn't do it without you guys._

**V. Contrition**

"_**Two roads diverged in a wood and I-I chose the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference…" –Robert Frost**_

Sheva was on her way to bed when she heard it.

Chris hadn't come home that night. She figured he was staying at Jill's or at the hospital or who knew where. Part of her was hurting from the things he'd said to her, part of her agreed with him, and part of her was relieved that-for better or worse-all the real feelings were out there now.

So the person making the occasional grunt of pain in the bathroom couldn't be Chris. It had to be Leon.

Sheva peeked into the door which was cracked open enough to reveal the light inside.

He was shirtless standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. His chest had a bruise the size of a grapefruit over his sternum. His jaw was starting to color a nice eggplant on the left side.

Sheva pushed the door inward and leaned on the frame, looking at him.

"I can't believer you actually fought with him."

Leon glanced at her and the attitude she'd been ready to give him died with the brief flash of pain on that handsome face. She'd seen a lot of things on his face since she'd met him but the hurt in his eyes hurt something inside of her. It was more then physical. There were wounds in Leon Kennedy that had nothing to do with bruises or blood.

The pain was masked so quickly she almost didn't catch it at all. A cool aloofness spilled over his face in what she knew now was his shield.

"You were right," Leon commented coolly, "I shouldn't have fought him. He hits like a brick shithouse."

Sheva stepped into the room and wet a wash cloth under the tap. Saying nothing, she laid it gently on his cheek, mopping up a little of the oozing blood from his split cheek bone.

"Fractured?" She asked in a matching cool tone, indicating his cheek.

He shook his head. "No. I don't need an MRI or a CAT scan to tell me that. Just bruised. Along with my ego."

Sheva smiled a little. "So who won?"

"I think it was a draw. And actually I think it was good for him. He needed somebody to pound on. I'm just glad it was me and not you."

Sheva met those cool blue eyes. "He wouldn't have hit me, Leon. You know that."

"He's not the same man he was when you met him, Sheva. He's hurting. And that hurt changes a man. Warps him. I don't trust him. And neither should you."

Sheva shrugged a little, rinsed the wash cloth in cool water, and pressed it again to his cheek. Leon caught her eyes and her wrist, held both.

"I meant it Sheva. You can't trust him right now. He's not himself. He's volatile."

"I understand," Sheva answered gently even while her brain begged him not to stop touching her. Even finger tips on her wrist felt good.

It was the moment she knew she should put distance between them. He was too easy of a man to fall for. Surely the other shoe was going to drop.

Leon released her wrist and stepped away from her after a long moment of holding her gaze.

"Well.."

"Well…" She answered, suddenly awkward.

"I guess this is good night."

Sheva felt…oddly dismissed. And strangely insulted at the same time. She stepped to the side as he passed and their arms brushed. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Maybe he just felt like complete shit? He had just been in a fight with a guy much much bigger then him after all but Sheva couldn't help feeling just the tiniest bit of fear that maybe she'd somehow pushed him away from her.

She just wasn't sure quite how to fix that.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

It was a great day for a wedding.

The sun was shining, the sun had melted leaving a very damp, very cold group of people gathered on soggy ground. But the air wasn't bitter, just cold, and the sky was clear the way only a Montana sky can be. Here, in the lost countryside, the pollution was nil. The sky was cloudless, cerulean blue and breathtaking.

Beneath the sky, the group of two hundred plus guests drank and danced, partied and congregated. The wedding had gone off without a hitch. If the secret service had made things awkward at one point, it was forgotten as Sherry Birkin became Sherry Thompson and pledged her love to another survivor of Umbrellas machinations.

Ark Thompson and Sherry Birkin had met, rather easily enough, at Leon's New York pad a year previous. The once private detective and the ex-rookie cop were friends from way back. And it had been at Leon's behest that the other man became embroiled in Umbrella's evil in the first place. So when the two had hit it off, Leon had been happy to have given both of them some happiness in the face of all they'd seen.

Sherry was a resplendent bride in white, Ark a handsome specimen in black. They'd married and danced their first dance beneath the cloudless sky like something out of a fairytale.

Chris had given away the bride, as promised, with Leon standing as best man and Claire as Matron of Honor.

Now the guests enjoyed the warming weather and a hint of coming spring made the air nearly warm as people moved in and out of the beautifully decorated reception hall. In spring, the hall would have a lovely outside garden and flower wrapped gazebo. In winter, the gazebo was bear and naked, surrounded by the jutting limbs of hibernating trees and the peaked tops of evergreens. It was still a stunning thing to behold, even in waiting for life again, with its maze of bushes and pebble lined paths that lead to the large hall in the distance.

The hall itself was decorated in pale pink and white, the bride's favorite colors. The pink was echoed in the dresses of her bridal party and the ties of the groomsmen. A live string quartet played music for those looking dance as the wait staff circulated inside and out with trays of champagne, wine, and canapés.

A small group huddled in the cold smoking and laughing as inside, Leon finished his dance with Sherry and kissed her cheek.

"I'm happy for you kiddo. Really happy."

Sherry smiled up at him, radiant. "You've been like a father to me, Leon."

"Ouch. An old comment."

Sherry smiled as he playfully put a wounded hand to his chest. "No. Not old. Just wonderful. I know it was you who paid for my college. Don't think I don't."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Hmm. And I can't thank you enough for Ark."

The man in question was currently crossing toward them. Ark was handsome enough, Leon supposed, with a floppy head of dark hair and deep set dark eyes. His handsome visage wasn't even sullied by the sweeping scar across one side of his face that he'd received fighting for his life on Sheena Island. In fact, it made him look rugged on what might have been a boyish face otherwise.

"Leon."

"Ark."

They shook and then embraced briefly.

"You'll take care of her." It wasn't a question. Leon simply stated it.

Solemnly, Ark answered, "I will."

And so Leon handed her to her groom and he swept her away to dance as the quartet slid into a sweet melody of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Claire was making her way toward him now. She looked soft and pretty in her pink bridesmaid dress. It was the color of precious stone and shimmered in the lights of the hall. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she approached him. She was still round from child birth but she'd had the dress taken in a little in the week since Red's birth to allow for the size decrease of lack of pregnancy.

Her face was a mask of concern.

"What is it?" He asked before she ever reached him.

"I have to tell you. I wanted to be the first one."

Leon took her hand as she opened it to him. "What, Claire? Are you alright? The baby?"

"No everythings fine there. I'm fine. It's not me I'm worried about. It's you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Leon…Ada is here."

Oh. Ohhhhh. Well that explained it. She was worried about how he'd react to Ada being at the reception. Truthfully, he was a little surprised. He'd known Sherry had invited her. He just didn't think she'd come.

Apparently, she had. And he wasn't at all sure how he felt about it.

And then he saw her.

She was crossing the floor toward him. And she was wearing her signature red. The dress was floor length and fit like a glove. It was shimmery like a veil and sparkly like a promise. It showed enough cleavage to be tempting without being trashy and the slit up the side revealed enough creamy white skin to be sinfully sensual. Ada…she always walked a fine line between classy and slutty.

Her shiny black hair was artfully arranged around her face in a flattering short style that showed her pierced ears and high cheekbones to perfection. Claire stepped to the side as she advanced and Leon wondered that she didn't growl in her throat like a protective mother lion.

"Leon."

"Ada."

Ada stepped into his body and kissed him. By polite standards, it wasn't wrong. She laid a kiss on his mouth that lasted a few seconds, no more, and then drew away. For all the world a friendly hello. But he'd felt the hunger in that kiss. And he wasn't a fool.

Like always, he was tempted. He couldn't be around her and not be. She was tempting. She always would be.

So he didn't say no when she slid her hand down his arm, wound their fingers together, and led him away. Claire stood rooted the spot with reproach written all over her face.

Ada led him from the main banquet hall out into the corridor beyond. Here the colors were more muted. Tan walls with silver framed paintings and a sculpture of Aphrodite stood in the lobby, carefully constructed of dark green marble.

A chandelier dangled happily from the ceiling of the lobby, casting beautiful light over the pale green marble floor.

The music of the hall became muted as the double doors slid closed behind them, sealing off his escape route. Did he need to escape from Ada? He wasn't sure yet. And, strangely, he wasn't afraid.

She wasn't Ashley. She wasn't going to hound him for love. She didn't want love at all. It was why they'd never work together.

Ada slid her long fingers up and down his pale pink tie. "Nice color on you," she commented silkily, "Not many guys can pull off pink."

"I'm just special like that." He answered smoothly.

"I've missed you, Leon." She purred, "I've been looking forward to seeing you here."

Leon cocked a brow and gave her a half smile. "Come off it, Ada. You haven't missed me. You could have seen me a hundred times in the past three years since the last time. You haven't bothered."

Ada smiled a little. "I'm here now." Her hands skimmed under his suit jacket and over his pecs. Her skin was humming in anticipation. "Let's sneak away. It'll be worth it."

He had no doubt. He knew for a fact it would be worth it. His body would sing like a fat lady at the end of an opera afterward. He knew what she was like in bed. But he'd told Sheva the truth, he wouldn't settle for it anymore.

Something had changed for him recently. He'd always known what type of man he was. He'd always known what he wanted from life.

But being here, seeing Claire and Kevin and their new baby, seeing Chris make a mess of his own life, meeting Sheva…something had changed. He wasn't content to settle for whatever Ada would give him. He wanted more.

And he owed it to himself, to Ada, to what he felt for her, to let her know that.

"I'll sneak away with you," He said quietly, "If you can look me in the eye and tell me you won't run afterward. If you can commit to me and tell me we're really going to do this. We're really going to be together. If you can leave behind whatever dirt you're currently rolling in, I'll sneak off with you right now."

Ada leaned away from him to study his face. "Oh Leon, don't tell me you've developed some kind of biological clock. Please don't. Every man I know who hits thirty decides he wants a coupla of brats and a woman in the kitchen baking cookies. Please don't tell me you've fallen into the stereotyped middle age madness."

Ada was looking at him like he'd sprouted a second head. And it was an ugly, domestic second head with horns sporting suburban ranch houses and picket fences.

Leon stepped clear of her. "Eventually people grow up, Ada. Some of us anyway."

Ada crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I never lied, Leon. I always gave you what I was capable of."

"No." He met her eyes squarely, "You always gave me what you wanted to. I won't settle for second place anymore. I'm looking for something real."

"What we had was real," Ada replied quietly, "It just wasn't permanent."

Leon shrugged a little. He was surprised it hurt less then he'd thought it was going to essentially say goodbye to Ada Wong. In a way, he'd said goodbye long ago. Now he was just doing it to her face.

"No hard feelings, Ada. Really. You never lied to me, so you shouldn't feel guilty."

Leon turned and headed back toward the hall. Her voice stopped him.

"Would it matter if I said I love you?"

He turned, met her eyes. They were dark and full of so many things. Some of those things were good, some of them were bad, some of them were painful to see.

"I love you, Ada. I've always loved you. But its not the kind of love that lasts. It's the kind that burns you up at both ends until there's nothing left. And I can't keep burning. It hurts too much." He sighed. "And I'm just not that strong."

Ada moved toward him, smooth, graceful, lithe and sexy. She'd always move him, somewhere inside of him, she'd always move something there. He supposed that was the thing about loving someone, you never really stopped. You just stopped needing them. He wasn't sure when he'd stopped but it just didn't hurt anymore to look at her.

And he was grateful.

Ada cupped his face in her hands and leaned into his body. "Okay. How about one for the road then? You won't really deny me one last kiss will you?"

"No," He answered and slid his arms around her, "I won't deny either of us that."

As goodbyes went, it was killer. They both spilled everything into it.

He gave her, and himself, everything he'd felt for her in the last decade of his life. He gave her the love, the longing, the emptiness and the heartbreak. He gave her the hope and the failure and gratitude for his life that she'd saved on that island when he'd been infected. He gave her goodbye, in the best possible way. There was no hard feelings, no regret, no remorse just a parting. And it lifted his soul to do it.

She drew back, her mouth rosy from his kiss and smiled at him. "I'm going to miss you, you fool."

He kissed the tips of her fingers as they stepped apart. "No more then I'll miss you, you bitch."

Ada laughed silkily and neither of them noticed the woman who slipped off down the hallway to escape outside.

……………………………………………………………………………..

"She's gone."

Leon froze at the front door. Chris was standing at the sink, washing dishes. He turned, and two different pairs of blue eyes met and held.

"I'm sorry?" Leon responded, hanging his coat by the door.

"She's gone."

"Who?"

But he already knew. Of course he knew. Hell he'd looked everywhere at the reception hall for her and hadn't found her anywhere. He knew then she'd gone. He'd just hoped he was wrong.

"Sheva," Chris replied gently, "She's gone. She left about ten minutes ago."

"For the supermarket?"

Chris gave him a very bland look. "For Africa I imagine. What did you do to her?"

Leon met his eyes. "Nothing. I haven't spoken to her all day."

Chris dropped his dish rag by the sink and turned to face Leon. "She didn't say much. Just that it was time for her to go."

Leon had a cold ball forming in his gut. It was a pretty shitty feeling.

He could chase her. He could follow her and try to stop her. But he just wasn't that guy. And he wasn't at all sure she wanted to be stopped.

Besides, he'd come here to help Chris. And he wasn't going to leave until he was sure he had.

Ignoring the coldness in his stomach, he said quietly, "So…what's for dinner?"

……………………………………………………………………………………

There was nothing to compare to the heat of a New York summer.

The pavement swam with images obscured by wet humidity tossing lies to the eyes about oasis's made of water and sand. Bodies milled about battling exhaustion, waving magazines as make shift fans in front of profusely sweating faces. Clothes were minimal, those who could wearing nothing more bathing suits or tank tops atop tiny shorts or skirts meant more for comfort then beauty.

Amidst the bustling hum of Central Park, people still braved the heat playing on the grass turning brown from lack of saturation. Bottles of water littered grassy slopes and hills beside patrons playing Frisbee or tossing balls for furiously heaving mutts. The old were no where to be seen, locked in doors under central air and saved from the sweltering summer sun by four walls and a fan.

Naked, resplendent, he emerged from the sparkling blue water of his private roof top pool. Beads of water slid down his skin like a lovers caress. He squeezed the excess water from his hair, chest heaving slightly with the rigorous work out he'd just given himself.

Training made him aware he wasn't alone. Arrogance kept him from rushing to cover his nudity with the Egyptian cotton towel waiting for him over the back of his lounge chair.

"Agent Kennedy, we've been trying to contact you."

Leon shook his head like a dog, sending beads of water scattering. He opened his eyes to meet those currently assessing him.

In the middle of the New York heat, she looked calm, cool, and collected. Gold rimmed glasses perched atop a pert nose on a face made for modeling. Her body, compact and lithe, was concealed in a navy blue suit.

"I'd ask how you got passed my security," Leon remarked coolly as he moved to lift his glass of sweating water and take a long pull, "But I suppose that's just silly."

"Child's play," Remarked the woman before she held out a manila envelope, "I have an assignment for you."

"No thanks." Leon picked up his towel and draped it lazily around his waist, "Hunnigan, I'm not in the Presidents back pocket anymore. I'm not interested."

Ingrid Hunnigan, right hand to President Graham, stubbornly continued to hold out the folder. "We contacted Agent Redfield first, he politely informed us this was more your speed. In fact, he seemed quite insistent."

Surprised, Leon met her eyes again. "Chris is active duty again?"

"He's been cleared by company doctors to return to the field. His psychological state, his marriage, all seem to be repaired."

Well that was good. A few months before, when Leon had left, Chris had been well on his way to mended. He'd been in talks with Jill to renew their marriage vows and actively participating in group therapy sessions. It was good to know it had worked.

"Good," Leon responded, "But I'm still not interested."

Leon slid open the sliding glass door to his penthouse apartment and stepped inside. Hunnigan followed.

"It pertains to Agent Alomar."

He paused, one hand on his cell phone. He'd been about to call Chris and cuss him out for directing the assignment to him.

Instead, he turned. "I'm listening."

Hunnigan opened the folder and skimmed through it. "She infiltrated a compound in Tuscany three weeks ago. She came under enemy fire and missed her last three check points. Intelligence has determined she's currently hiding out or captured. The compound has been raided by BSAA forces and no sign of her was found."

That cold feeling in his gut that had been plaguing him for months reemerged. This time, it had teeth and claws, and it ripped into his stomach to devour his intestines.

He turned to his sleekly clad granite counter in his kitchen and picked up a pack of cigarettes off it, lighting one up. "What's the mission status?"

Hunnigan watched him move with a grudging respect. She'd never particularly liked Leon Kennedy. Something about him smacked too close to sociopathic tendency for her. He was cold, calculating, and when he wanted to be, down right deadly. It made him difficult to know, harder then hell to judge, and easy to trust. She'd never doubted he'd do the job. She just wasn't always sure his methods were legal when doing it.

Physically, he was breath taking. His body was built for wet dreams and waging war. His stomach was made for bouncing quarters, his biceps for crushing skulls. He was sleek, quick, and lethal. But the perfect face, with its WASP features that did justice to a strong name like Kennedy, couldn't hide the darkness. It leaked and oozed around him like mist. It was like you knew he was standing at the edge of a cavernous abyss and one wrong step would send him plummeting into the maw.

The things he'd seen, done, it was a mystery there was anything really human left in the man before her. But at the mention of Sheva Alomar, a very human, very scared, look had crossed his face.

It was, if nothing else, interesting.

Hunnigan tossed the manila folder on his counter next to him. "The mission status is complete. The compound has been cleared of hostiles and remains in BSAA custody. The only missing link is Agent Alomar."

"What does analysis say the chance of abduction is?"

"Seventy-two percent."

Leon nodded and ground out his cigarette. "And the other percentage?"

"Death." Hunnigan was aware of the tiny flinching around those perfect blue eyes. "But I'm guessing you knew that already."

Leon picked up the manila envelope. "And you expect me to track her. When you're entire department can't track her? You think I'm that good?"

"No." Hunnigan turned and started for the door. "I think she'll come to you if she can. And if she's in hostile custody, I think you'll break rules the rest of the department wouldn't dare to find her."

"Why do you want her back so badly?"

Hunnigan smiled a little over her shoulder. "She infiltrated the compound under orders to bring in Ada Wong."

And so the plot thickens, Leon thought.

"There were definite signs of a struggle," Hunnigan met his eyes, "DNA composites came back positive for both women. They fought, they bled. It's up to you to find out if one of them died. Either way, we need confirmation of Agent Alomar and Ada Wong. Dead or alive."

Leon ground his teeth at the coolness in her voice. If he was the iceman, she was a stone cold bitch.

"It's gotta be hard walking around with that stick shoved so far up your ass Hunnigan."

Hunnigan grinned a little. "Not any harder then it must be having your head up yours, Kennedy. Good luck."

Leon dropped the towel and moved sleek and fast into the bedroom. He had to change, book a flight to Italy, and get in touch with some contacts he had in the Italian police department there. It had been awhile but he was pretty sure he could dig up something pointing him in the right direction.

…………………………………………………………………………….

He'd spent nearly six days searching for any signs of Sheva Alomar before something finally popped.

It wasn't even his police source that turned him on to it. It was getting in touch with Alyssa Ashcroft of the New York Times that tipped the scales. Kevin and Alyssa had made friends during the Raccoon City disaster and the reporter had her fingers in more pies then a fat man at an all you can eat buffet.

She'd faxed Sheva's picture to every major hub and information center she knew and finally got a pop in Paris. The French police had recently arrested a woman fitting Sheva's description on a public vagrancy charge.

They'd found her wandering around the Eiffel Tour disorientated and half dressed looking like she'd taken the beating of a lifetime. Apparently she'd been mum ever since she'd been taken in to custody and the French police were more then happy to hold her until she coughed up bail or started talking. Since she'd done neither, she was still sitting there.

A flash of his ID and a phone call to HQ later and he was being buzzed through central holding to the cells. Inspector Luc Girard was more then happy to get Sheva out of his custody when it was implied she was a foreign person of interest to the US government.

She was pacing the cell when he saw her. Filthy, caked with dried blood, she was still beautiful. Her hair was a wild mess around her head, her clothes torn and tattered around her body.

She heard the foot steps and said loudly, "You're wasting your time. I'm not telling you anything."

"What if I say please?"

Startled, she spun around.

Months of not seeing him didn't change her reaction. Dressed in a baby blue dress shirt, navy slacks, and a dark blue silky tie that brought out his eyes, he looked wonderful. He looked edible.

"I take it you know each other?" Girard queried.

"Vaguely." Leon replied. "This is Sheva Alomar. I'll be taking her with me."

"Please do." Girard buzzed the cell open. "She's nothing but a pain in the ass."

Sheva scowled at the inspector as she exited the cell. "You here to take me in?"

"Something like that." Leon wanted to gather her in his arms and hold her. It was an odd feeling for him. He hadn't expected to feel this over whelming urge to touch her. Weeks of worrying about her, months of missing her, and she was finally in front of him.

He wanted to feel her skin. Instead, he settled for taking her arm and leading her down the hallway.

Outside the station, she shook her arm free.

"I'm not going back."

Leon met her angry stare coolly. "I've rented a set of rooms for us. Lets just go there, you can shower, clean up and tell me what happened."

"No." Sheva shook her head. "I can't tell you what I don't know. I don't remember anything. Anything at all. I remember fighting with Ada and then…nothing. I woke up here, in Paris, and that's all I know. I'm not going back with you. They'll stick me in some think tank, poke and prod me like some animal to get to my memories. I won't have it."

"Is Ada dead?"

Sheva spun on him and then shoved him in the chest so hard he stumbled. "Is that all that matters? Of course it is. Why am I not surprised? I knew…know what she is to you. She was alive when I blacked out. Okay? That's all I know." Sheva took a step toward him. "Though not for lack of trying on my part, I promise you."

Leon grabbed her arm again, roughly, and drug her into step beside him. "You're making a scene."

Sheva shook her arm roughly. "So? Oh…I bet that just twists your panties, doesn't it, Iceman?"

Leon said nothing as he drug her into the elevator of the hotel. The front desk clerk lifted her brows as they passed. Leon smiled politely and said congenially. "What a bachelorette party! Entirely too much fun for this one."

The clerk giggled a little as the doors swished shut.

Sheva jerked her arm free again. "Your lady love was alive, last I saw her. Does that ease your soul? You can rest easy now. Although I can promise you, she wasn't nearly as pretty when I left her."

Again, saying nothing, Leon dragged her out of the elevator. The hallway of the hotel was pretty. It was done in shades of mauve and lavender with a plush white berber carpet lining the floors. A maid passed by pushing her cart of supplies for cleaning.

He keyed into the room, pushed open the door and shoved her inside. She stumbled a little and plopped down on the bed.

The room was white carpet with sea foam green walls. It was a suite with a full kitchen and a Jacuzzi tub next to a stand alone shower. The spread of the king sized bed was ornate gold with white embroidered flowers. A bay window opened to a balcony that over looked the whole of Paris.

Mid day the view was awesome. The Eiffel tower stood in the distance jutting like a dancer above the heads of all the other buildings. The Louvre was visible from here as well, its distinctive architecture adding mystery to one of the most memorable sky lines in the world.

Neither of the two patrons of the Hotel De Chagny cared about the view at the moment. They were too wrapped up in their own heated debate.

Leon flipped on the shower, heating the distinctive sound of water on porcelain behind the crystal clear doors.

"Get in." He instructed. "I'm going to take care of food."

Sheva snarled at him. "I'm not your child." She rose. "And I have my own room, I'm assuming."

"This is your room." Leon eyed her as he moved toward her, "This is my room."

"You said we had two rooms."

"I lied."

Sheva jerked a little as he grabbed her filthy shirt and jerked it over her head. Her hands flew up to cover exposed bra. "Hey!"

Leon grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the shower. "You smell like filthy asshole. Get in that shower, wash off, then we'll talk."

"I don't want to share a room with you." Did it sound like she was pouting?

"Tough." Leon opened the shower door for her. "You get in. Or I force you in. Decide."

"I'll do it. Okay? Sheesh."

"Thank you." Leon left her to finish undressing and moved toward the kitchen. He pushed his shirt sleeves up and loosened his tie a little before he set about cooking.

The sound of running water coincided with the sizzle of food in pan. About the time Sheva finished rinsing off and emerged wrapped in a thick, terry cloth hotel robe Leon was putting two plates on the glass two seater dining table in the kitchen area.

Sheva had to admit it smelled fantastic.

"What are we having?"

"Putanesque." Leon pulled back her chair and then went around to sit in his own. "Sit. Eat. Talk."

Sheva sighed a little. "What's next? Lay down? Roll over? Fetch?"

Leon smirked. "Maybe. Sit. Please."

"Fine." She did and raked up a mouthful of the delicious pasta. "Intel told us Ada Wong and another unnamed associate were operating out of the compound in Tuscany. I went in, undercover. Things were going okay at first until Wong made me. I don't know how. I know we didn't meet at the wedding. I don't think she's ever seen me before. But somehow she made me. Things snow balled from there. I tried to take her out because I knew back up would arrive when I missed my check points. But she's tough." Sheva shifted and met Leon's eyes. "Really tough. We beat the hell out of each other. I had her down, fist around her throat and then…nothing. Blackness. I woke up here, in Paris, and was taken into custody."

Leon passed her his plate when she polished off her own. She was more then happy to eat his too. She was ravenous.

When she finished, she met his eyes. "Why are you here, Leon? I knew they'd send someone…but why you?"

Skirting the question, he responded. "They offered the job to Chris first."

Sheva tensed a little.

"He declined. Turns out he's making great progress with his wife and his life and not ready for field work yet. He suggested me."

Sheva nodded a little and rose from the table. "So you came to save the day?"

"I came to find you." Leon rose as well and took the plates to the sink to run under warm water. "The BSAA considers you a valuable asset. And Ada's always been on their most wanted list."

"Ah. They thought I'd know where she was."

"Something like that."

"Well I don't." Sheva turned and walked toward the window. "Sorry you wasted your time. I don't know where your girlfriend is."

Leon set the plates in the drainer and turned to face her. "She's not my girlfriend."

"You looked pretty chummy eating her face at the wedding."

Well…well indeed. The coldness in his gut turned warm around the edges. That's what had driven her away…jealousy? Really? It hadn't occurred to him. The idea that she was finished with him had. The idea that she wasn't interested anymore had. The idea that she was too wrapped up in Chris to want to watch him reconnect with his wife had. But not jealousy. Not for Leon anyway.

The coldness turned warm all over.

"Sheva," He took a step toward her, "What do you think you saw in that hallway?"

Sheva turned and faced him. "You. And the woman you love. Reunited."

Leon smiled a little. "No. You saw me and the woman I loved…saying goodbye."

Sheva jerked a little and then shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You never said we were…we never made any promises or anything to each other. I didn't leave because of that..not entirely anyway."

"Then why leave?"

"Me being there was hurting Chris. Hurting his chances of recovering. Hurting his family. I hadn't gone there to hurt him. I fucked up and slept with him. And I couldn't take that back. But I could leave. Because all that had happened since I stepped off that plane was hurt people." Sheva wrapped her arms around herself, comforting.

"You never hurt me." Leon replied quietly.

"I did. I did. We…I came on to you. I'm the one who started things between us. Me. And then…Chris and I slept together. And I know that hurt you. I know it drove a wedge between us. And I hate myself for it. I hate myself for hurting you. So when I saw you kissing Ada…I figured…well…that's what I get."

Leon shook his head, stepped toward her and she held up a hand to keep him away. "Don't. Don't comfort me. Don't. Or I'll fall apart. I made such a mess of things. I went there to help Chris. And I met you. And I didn't mean to meet you. Wait…that doesn't make sense."

Sheva shook her head and started pacing. "I didn't mean to meet you and feel about you the way I felt. Chris…he was so much easier. You know? That sounds wrong too."

Leon couldn't help but smile a little. She was very cute in her internal ramblings.

"How I felt about Chris was easier, ya know?" Sheva mused aloud as she paced. "We'd been partners. We knew each other. We respected each other. And we were attracted. Natural really to fall into to bed with him. Wait…not natural. Shit. Ugh I'm fucking this up."

Leon bit his lip a little to hold back a grin. "Keep going."

Sheva signed loudly. "Easier to fall into bed with him. More logical. And then there was you. And you…you touched me. You touched me in this way I had no name for. It was chemical and emotional and sensual all at once. And you're this personality that is so self assured and complete and-"

"Full of shit."

Sheva stopped at his statement. "What?"

"I'm full of shit." Leon held his hands out in front of him and shrugged. "I'm full of shit. I act like I've got it all together because I'm walking this very narrow tight rope. If I slip too far one way, I fall. So I have to tell myself I know what I want, when I want it, and what I'm willing to do to get it. I figure if I say it enough, maybe I'll believe it."

"You sounded so sure in the café that morning." Sheva said quietly.

"Yeah. I do that. I'm good at sounding sure of things. I'm just really shitty at following through sometimes." Leon smiled slightly. "Sheva, I don't know what this is between us. But I came half way around the world to find you. I kinda feel like Chris chasing down Jill, ya know? Here I am. I didn't come for Ada. I came for you. That ought to mean something."

Sheva figured this was the moment of truth. One way or the other it all came out here and now.

"I'm in love with you." She said it, strongly, solidly and watched his face to see his reaction. The iceman flinched through the eyes a little but held his ground. "Scary right? To hear it? Imagine how it feels to say it. I don't expect you to say it back. I just wanted you to know it. I barely know you, really I don't know you at all. Not the way some people do. But I'm in love with you. In a very complicated, very real way. Being away from you all these months has just made it more real."

Leon shifted a little as she moved toward him. "I care about you, Sheva. A lot. Very much."

Sheva nodded and lifted her hands to loosen his tie. It slithered between her fingers as it fell to the floor like a freed indigo snake. She meticulously undid the buttons of his shirt until she could slip a hand inside to lay palm open over his chest and feel the unsteady, excited thump of his heart. "I know that. And I'm patient. I'll wait for you to love me. Forever if I have to."

Jesus, he didn't deserve a woman like this. Or maybe he did. Maybe he did. After Ada. After Chris. Maybe they deserved each other. Someone who cared enough to…wait.

He cupped her face in his hands, traced his thumbs over her cheekbones.

"You know how I knew you were different, Leon Kennedy?" She whispered, sliding his shirt off his shoulders. It fell to the floor with a whisper of silk.

"How?" He replied gruffly, sliding his hands down to loosen the tie of her robe.

"You kissed me." She traced her hands over his stomach, felt his abs contract and goosebumps pop of his skin. "You kissed me and you didn't take me in that damn barn. Even though I wanted you to."

"God," He shivered, parted the robe and traced her naked belly. "I wanted to. You have no idea how much I wanted to."

Sheva smiled and shivered with delight at the smoothness of his touch. "I know how much. Because I've thought about that night a thousand times since I saw you last. Imagined it. Went beyond what happened. I've done things to you in my head you can't even begin to imagine."

Leon grinned wolfishly. "Not nearly half as bad as the things I've done to you in mine."

"Want to bet on it?"

"I have a better idea," Leon slid the robe off her shoulders. "Let me show you."

Naked she was beautiful. Tawny skin and lean muscle. She was built beautiful and athletic, a warrior goddess.

Sheva felt herself blush at his thorough perusal of her. She returned the favor, slipping the loops of his belt and freeing him from his pants.

They faced each other with nothing between them but feelings. He looked better then she'd imagined he would. Smooth and muscled with just a suggestion of hair in a happy trail down his lower abdomen to his groin.

He was perfect all over. Gleaming, gorgeous skin kissed golden from sun and good genes. He stood erect and ready for her, long and pink and perfect.

She laughed a little in her throat.

Leon lifted a brow. "What?"

"Even your dick is perfect." She smiled at the irony of it. "It just isn't fair to other men. God."

Leon gathered her into his arms, sighing in delight at the feel of their naked bodies pressing together. "Not god. Leon Kennedy."

Sheva chuckled. "One in the same in my book."

'


End file.
